Burnt by the Sun
by LoveWasOurs
Summary: Yuri Masuno begins her first year at Nekoma High School, where she meets Tetsuro Kuroo. They connect quickly and soon fall in love. Two years later, as third years, Yuri discovers she has something of a secret admirer. Her secret admirer will go to great lengths for her, such as hacking into her cell phone and stealing photos of her off of Tetsuro's cell phone.
1. Chapter 1

Yuri Masuno had just finished her first day of high school, at her first pick for a school; Nekoma High. Her black hair just barely reached her shoulders, straight but with a wave towards the end. She had bangs that went across her gray eyes. She was small in stature; short and thin but not too petite. She wore the black skirt of the school uniform along with the black sailor-style top and the red ribbon around the neck tied like a bow, but she opted for a gray long-sleeved cardigan that had the school's symbol on the right side above the chest.

Habitually, she pushed open the doors to the gym, curiously making her way down the stairs and peering over the railing. There they were; the volleyball team.

Yuri loved volleyball. It was probably the only thing in the world that kept her attention for longer than a few minutes. She'd never seen Nekoma's team before, although she'd heard they'd been in a decline recently.

The second and third years were letting the first-years practice; probably in order to assess their skills. She watched them play, curiously. They seemed skilled for first-years. One of them was quite tall, even for a first-year, with a strong build and black, spiked up hair. He was a middle blocker. The smaller one was a libero and the third one was a wing spiker. They would make good assets for the team once they had more experience.

Yuri leaned her head to one side as she watched. After they practiced spiking, they practiced receiving. Of course, the libero was the best one at it. The wing spiker seemed to have a much more difficult time receiving.

After several failed attempts, he seemed incredibly frustrated and none of the older players seemed interested in teaching him.

"You're doing it wrong," Yuri called down to him, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. She didn't care; she was only talking to him. "You can't get it right because you're doing it wrong."

One of the second-years chuckled. "What does a little girl like you know about volleyball?"

"Let me show you," she told the wing spiker, ignoring the other player. She descended the bleacher stairs into the gym floor, feeling only slightly intimidated by all the towering boys. She was only 155 centimeters tall, compared to everyone else in the room, save for the libero, she was like a little kid.

She approached the wing spiker and held out her hands, preparing to receive.

"You want me to throw a ball at you?" the older kid who was spiking at them chuckled, "I don't want to break your arms."

Yuri furrowed her brow. "They won't break." She turned her head to the wing spiker. "Hold your arms like this and lift with your whole body."

The older kid shrugged and did as he was told. The ball impacted just where she planned and she received it almost effortlessly. All the boys around gawked at her and she heard a few chuckles in the back.

"See?" she said, "Now you try."

He nodded and did as she said when he received and he was able to do it properly. "Oh, you're amazing!" he gushed, happily, "Are you on the girls' team? Don't you have practice, too?"

Yuri shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not on a team. I've never been on a team."

They all gazed at her wide-eyed. "How did you learn how to do that?" the wing spiker asked, in awe.

She shrugged. "I went to junior high with Ushijima and I used to watch the volleyball practice every day."

"Ushijima?" the middle blocker with the spiky hair mused, "from Shiratorizawa?"

Yuri nodded. "We were friends. The boys' volleyball team at Shiratorizawa Junior High were serious but in their free time, they taught me how to play."

One of the second years stepped forward. "You went to Shiratorizawa Junior High?" he gawked, "What are you doing at Nekoma? If you're smart enough to go to a school like that, you would've gotten in anywhere in the country."

Yuri tapped her chin for a minute. "What am I doing… at Nekoma? That's a good question." She sat in silence for a moment, sensing that they were itching for an answer and it made her giggle. "Well… my family moved. There is another reason but that's a secret."

"What?" the wing spiker chuckled, "Why is it a secret?"

Yuri laughed. "If I tell you why it's a secret, then it won't be a secret anymore."

He shrugged. "I guess. Hey, if you know how Ushiwaka and the Shiratorizawa team plays, why don't you become our team manager?" he asked, excitedly, "You could help us so much. You could give us tips."

Yuri chuckled, shaking her head quickly. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. It's too much responsibility. I like to watch so I'll be up there," she gestured to the spot where she stood before, "Probably every day."

"Thank you for helping," he said as she walked towards the stairs.

"No problem."

Yuri could feel a pair of eyes on her even as they resumed their practice. It seemed she caught someone's attention.

At the end of practice, she left the building, stopping at the shoe lockers to change out of her school shoes when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey, you," the voice called and she turned to see the middle blocker with the spiky hair, "What's your name?"

Yuri took her time changing shoes and closing her locker before turning towards him. "Yuri Masuno," she answered, "What's yours?"

"Tetsuro Kuroo," he answered, "You're in my class."

"Am I?" she giggled, "I'm sorry, I never pay attention."

He shook his head, dismissing her apology. "It's nice to meet you. You seemed quiet in class today so you surprised me in practice."

She shrugged. "I'm not really _quiet_, I just don't talk unless someone's talking to me. But watching him suffer was painful so I just wanted to help."

He nodded. "Thank you for that."

She shook her head quickly. "It's nothing."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said before walking past her.

Yuri watched him walk away before taking a deep breath. She was used to spending so much time with the Shiratorizawa team so meeting a whole group of new people was a bit overwhelming. Although, she had a good feeling about it.

The next day, after the volleyball practice, Yuri ran into Tetsuro again on her way out. "Hey, Masuno," he greeted. Yuri nodded once in return. "I happened to notice your grade on the homework, since I sit a couple seats behind you and all," he continued, blushing a bit, "And I was wondering if you would be up for tutoring."

Yuri gazed at him for a moment. Her first instinct was to refuse; tutoring him would require effort and responsibility. Then again, this could be her chance to actually make a friend at this school. "Okay," she answered, "On one condition." He gazed at her intently, as if he was afraid of her condition. "Don't tell anyone what you're going to find out."

He seemed to be frightened by her words, cautiously approaching and walking at her side. "Um, what do you mean?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Yuri could feel his curiosity and his fear of the unknown at her words and it made her giggle.

They pushed open the doors and Yuri took a deep breath of the fresh air. It tasted nice. The sun was setting and the sky was a beautiful color, although the sky appeared much more beautiful in the country, where the air wasn't polluted or hidden away by lights. Yuri was content as long as she got to see it.

They walked in silence until they reached her home. It wasn't very far from the school and it was in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Yuri's father was an important businessman working for a corporation; she didn't care much for the details. But she did live comfortably, and she was grateful for that. It wasn't a mansion, though.

Yuri led Tetsuro inside, taking off her shoes, announcing that she'd come home. She could sense his intimidation at what she'd said before peaking and she giggled at the thought, just as her mother poked her head in.

"Oh, Yuri," she greeted, "You made a friend."

Yuri nodded. "I'm tutoring him."

Her mother gave her a shocked expression. "You? You're going out of your way to do something responsible?" She laughed. "Interesting. Is he on the volleyball team?" Yuri nodded. "Oh, Yuri. I wish you'd come home with a girl one day."

Yuri shrugged. "Kuroo, this is my mom. Mom, this is Tetsuro Kuroo."

"Nice to meet you," Tetsuro greeted nervously.

Her mother nodded. "Nice to meet you too. I'll make an extra setting for dinner."

"Thank you," Tetsuro said as she walked away.

Yuri met his gaze. "What I'm about to show you is a secret. Follow me."

She led him up the stairs to her bedroom, opening the door and leading him inside. He was almost trembling. "What is it?" he asked, "What are you hiding?"

Yuri knelt down and peered under her bed, reaching under and retrieving a fully grown, calico cat. "This is Momo."

Tetsuro gazed at her suspiciously for a moment. "Is that the secret?"

Yuri nodded. "He's the real reason I wanted to go to Nekoma so much. It was my first choice."

Tetsuro continued gazing at her, puzzlement in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Yuri tapped her chin. "Well, to put it simply, I love cats."

There was a short silence before he burst out laughing. "That's the reason you came to Nekoma? I thought it was something scary, like drugs or weapons."

"Drugs or weapons?" Yuri mused, "Interesting. I thought cats were holy at Nekoma."

Tetsuro finally managed to calm down, kneeling down on the ground across from her. "Cats aren't holy at Nekoma," he mused, "The kanji in Nekoma doesn't mean cat. It just sounds the same."

"Oh," Yuri gasped, "I've been duped."

Tetsuro laughed again as Yuri set Momo down on the ground and opened her school bag, sliding out her notebook. He did the same once he relaxed, although the smile lingered on his face.

Yuri flipped open her notebook. "What is it that you don't understand?"


	2. Chapter 2

After a good few hours of hardly any studying and mostly getting distracted, along with dinner, Tetsuro decided it was time for him to go home. Although they did manage to get in a few moments of studying, they mostly spent it playing with Momo or laughing at funny pictures on the internet through Yuri's phone.

The next day, Yuri arrived after school to the volleyball practice just in time for them to begin. When she leaned against the railing, Tetsuro noticed her immediately, waving at her.

"Hey, Masuno," he greeted, calling out to her.

She blushed at the sudden attention, waving back. One of the other boys nudged him. "Quit flirting, we're at practice."

Tetsuro cheeks tinted pink. "I'm not flirting. We're friends."

"Friends?" two of them said at the same time, "You and _her_ are friends?"

Tetsuro nodded, seeming incredibly proud. "Yeah, we're friends. Do you have a problem with that?"

One of them laughed. "She's too cute for you, Kuroo."

Yuri's face turned red and she sat back on the bleacher behind her, making it easier for her to hide her face. Practice resumed as usual and she relaxed after a few moments. Watching them play put her at ease. The wing spiker had improved immensely since she taught him how to receive. Although Yuri knew how to do things like that, if she were a player in a match she would cost her team the game. She wasn't very athletic and she wasn't good at thinking while under pressure; but she was good at observing and saying what needed to be fixed.

However, she wasn't in any place to critique Nekoma's team so she stayed silent and watched. They'd figure it out on their own anyhow.

After practice, she waited by her shoe locker until Tetsuro made an appearance, giving her a smile. "Thanks for helping me," he said as they began walking, "It's hard to juggle volleyball and studying. Most of the time I just want to go home and sleep."

Yuri nodded. "I understand, but I'm sure you'll get used to it after this year." She tapped her chin. "Do you want some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" he mused, "I don't know if ice cream will feel good after working out."

"Let's stop here," she said, gesturing to the little café next to their school, "We can sit and I can get some ice cream."

He chuckled. "Your mom won't be too happy if she finds out you ate ice cream before dinner."

She met his gaze. "She's not going to find out."

He nodded obediently. "You're scary."

Yuri smiled, leading the way inside the café. She ordered an ice cream before they took a seat at a table near the window. She continued smiling as she ate her ice cream.

"What are you smiling about?" he teased.

She continued smiling without meeting his gaze. "Whenever I'm with ice cream, I'm in my happy place."

Tetsuro chuckled, watching her eat. "Your face is covered in ice cream."

"Then I must look really cute," she mumbled as she finished up her ice cream. She met his gaze. "Let's go."

He laughed, shaking his head and lifting one of the napkins in his hand. He leaned towards her, wiping the ice cream off her cheeks and nose.

Yuri suddenly felt nervous, her heart racing in her chest, especially when he finished cleaning her face and he met her gaze. She held his and he blushed, clenching the napkin in his hand.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking away.

She shook her head, dismissing his apology and lifting her bag over her shoulder as she got to her feet. He did the same, following her out the door. They walked in silence until they reached her home.

"I'm home," Yuri called.

Her mother poked her head into the hall. "You're later than usual," she greeted, "Hello, Kuroo."

"Thanks for having me," he said, although he still seemed shy.

Her mother examined Yuri's face. "Have you been eating ice cream?"

Yuri gasped. "How can you tell? My face is clean this time."

Her mother shook her head walking away. "Oh, Yuri, Yuri, Yuri, what am I going to do with you?"

Tetsuro chuckled before Yuri led him up to her room. "Alright, let's get to studying," she broke the silence, sitting on the floor and withdrawing her notebook. "Where did we leave off last time?"

Two months passed and Yuri regularly attended the boys' volleyball practice. Afterwards, three days a week she studied with Tetsuro. As exams came up, he focused more on studying rather than distractions and he visited every day of the week, including Sunday, which they met at the library. He was Yuri's first real friend at Nekoma, although she did manage to make more. She befriended most of the volleyball team, along with some of her classmates.

After exam results were passed out, Tetsuro walked out of class with Yuri.

"What did you get?" she asked him, "I've been praying for you but I'm sure after all the hard work and effort you put into it, you would get a good grade."

Tetsuro grinned. "I'll tell you later."

Yuri chuckled. "Alright then."

They left the building together, since the volleyball team was getting a break today to start summer. "Masuno," he broke the silence, "what do you think about the future?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, the future… Well it's something that hasn't happened yet but will."

He had an annoyed expression at her words. "I didn't mean the definition. I mean what do you want to do?"

Yuri met his gaze as they walked, curiously. She wasn't sure where this conversation was headed. "I don't know, Kuroo," she admitted, "I haven't thought much about it. I just want to finish school right now and then when the time comes, I'll start thinking about what I want for the future."

He nodded slowly. "I'm glad we're in the same boat. I don't know what I want to do yet either."

They were nearly halfway to her home at this point. "Kuroo," she mused, "are you coming over? I wasn't planning for this."

"I'm just walking you home," he grinned, "Like a gentleman should."

Yuri rolled her eyes. "Why don't you tell me your grade?"

He chuckled. "I can't tell you."

"Why?" she asked, "Did you fail?"

"No," he insisted, "I can't tell you because I don't know what I got."

Yuri laughed. "How can you not know? Didn't the teacher give you your grade?"

He nodded. "I got it but I closed my eyes and put it away."

"Why?" Yuri asked curiously, just as they were arriving in front of her home. She stopped, turning to face him. His cheeks were pink and he was obviously avoiding her gaze.

"Let's make a bet," he finally said.

"A bet?"

He nodded. "If I failed, nothing will happen and things will go on as usual."

"Okay," Yuri agreed, "then what happens if you pass?"

"If I passed… then… will you be my girlfriend?"

He seemed to blurt out the last part, closing his eyes. Yuri's heart raced a mile a minute, feeling her face turn even redder than his. He awaited her reply with his eyes closed, as if he didn't want to see her facial expression. Yuri was relieved; she didn't want him to see how red she was. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes on him.

"Fine."

He opened his eyes finally, meeting her gaze. Holding it proved difficult for the both of them but they managed to.

"I'll be your girlfriend."

He shook his head. "No, I wasn't asking you out." Yuri almost turned away and went inside at his words but she didn't, waiting to hear his explanation. "You only become my girlfriend if I passed. If I failed, why would I get such a good reward? I'll never learn anything then."

Yuri couldn't help but giggle, watching him pull the grade sheet from his school bag. He looked at it first. She gazed at him, her heart racing nervously. Finally, a smile broke his lips and he lifted his gaze to her.

"It looks like you and I are dating now."

Yuri grinned, stepping over to him to see the paper. "Wow, Kuroo! You did great! I'm so happy for you. All your hard work paid off."

He met her gaze, blushing. "Now that we're dating, you should call me Tetsuro. I'll call you Yuri."

Yuri blushed at his words, although she smiled. "Can I call you Tetsu?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

She grinned, grasping his wrist and pulling him past her home. "Let's go, Tetsu!"

"Where are we going?" he asked curiously.

"Let's go explore Tokyo," she told him, "I've wanted to explore since I moved here but I didn't want to go alone. Now that I have a sure friend, we can go explore."

"Is this our first date?"

Yuri tapped her chin, slowing down to match his pace. "Yeah I guess it is."

The next day, Yuri arrived just in time for the volleyball practice to begin. Nekoma's team would be going away for a week of practice matches somewhere in the suburbs against three other Tokyo volleyball teams soon, so they were all hyped up to compare their skills to the other teams.

Yuri leaned over the railing, her eyes naturally drawn to Tetsuro and her heart fluttered as she recalled their date from the day before. It was just as awkward as a first date normally is, but Yuri did her best to keep it from being overwhelmingly awkward. Luckily, she'd become close enough to Tetsuro to know how to keep a conversation going with him so it wasn't too difficult.

They wandered around downtown Tokyo and eventually stopped at another ice cream shop. This time they both had some, but Tetsuro still ended up wiping the ice cream off her face. It was less embarrassing now that both of their feelings were out in the open.

Tetsuro caught her gaze and she smiled at him when suddenly, he stopped in the middle of practicing, turning to face his teammates. "Hey, guys," he called, summoning their attention, "I want to introduce you all to my girlfriend. Now that you know, you can keep your eyes on the court."

A silence settled in and Yuri's face was hot with embarrassment. The guys on the court suddenly burst out laughing. "In your dreams, Kuroo," one of them teased, "There's no way you're dating a girl like Masuno."

He crossed his arms. "If you don't believe me you can ask her," he said which caused all the guys to face Yuri.

She almost wanted to run away but she didn't want to hurt Tetsuro's feelings. "Y-yeah," she managed to stammer, "We're dating."

A couple of them high-fived Tetsuro or gave him a pat on the back, congratulating him. The attention was finally off of Yuri but she still felt the need to sit down, taking the time to relax as they continued their practice. Seeing them play always managed to put her heart at ease.


	3. Chapter 3

Two years passed and Tetsuro and Yuri were third years. Tetsuro became the captain of the volleyball team and Nekoma's team grew much stronger than they were initially. Yuri apparently grew much more beautiful, although all she noticed was her height changed and the length of her hair fell down past her chest. She still liked to watch the volleyball team practice.

As first-years, Tetsuro was already taller than Yuri but by the time they were third-years, he was much taller. Yuri, on the other hand, had only grown an inch or two.

Of course, with time, they had grown much more comfortable with each other. They were like best friends; there were no secrets, they always spent their time together laughing, and Yuri knew she could trust him with anything. They recently started spending nights together, although nothing 'happened'. They would simply hang out and do homework and fall asleep holding each other.

Yuri was at school, as usual, when…

"I'm in love with you, Masuno."

Yuri examined this boy's face. She couldn't seem to recall his name, although she knew she had class with him. She wondered if he even knew her first name. There was no way he really meant his words. Just when she opened her mouth to apologize, a hand hit the wall behind the boy's head and Tetsuro leaned forward, towering over him.

"Is there some reason you have for pulling my girlfriend out in this quiet corner?"

Yuri lifted her gaze to him to see that he was grinning. He loved to do this.

"Tetsu," she smiled, "there's no need to scare this poor kid's soul away. I was just going to apologize to him."

The boy didn't seem to hear her, too frightened by Tetsuro's overwhelming presence, ducking out under his arm and running away. Tetsuro laughed and Yuri rolled her eyes.

"You know, you're so mean. You don't have to scare people away with your size."

He thoughtfully gazed off into the distance. "You're smaller than him. Are you scared?"

Yuri giggled. "Of you? No."

He grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up to eyelevel. "You're scary, though."

"Why?" she chuckled.

"You just seem like the type who knows how to destroy a person," he teased.

Yuri laughed. "Only if you hurt me."

He shook his head quickly. "Never."

He pressed his lips to hers in a deep, sincere kiss. Yuri would never get tired of his lips. She could kiss him all day and still crave more.

When he reluctantly broke the kiss, he looked around before setting her back down on her feet. "Let's get going before we're late," he said.

They were on the side of the school building where no one could see so their kiss was safe. Yuri would probably never find out how Tetsuro had known where she was and who she was with. He always seemed to know when someone confessed to her. It was like he had a sixth sense for it.

The two of them reached the front of the building and blended into the crowd so that no one would notice they had been hidden away on the side of the building. Tetsuro waved goodbye to her as he greeted some of his friends. Yuri, on the other hand, didn't stop to speak to anyone before she arrived at her classroom. Two of her friends sat on either side of her.

"Where were you this morning?" one of them, named Naomi, asked her.

The other one, Akane, mischievously eyed Yuri. "Someone told me she went off to the side of the school with a boy from our class. Care to explain, Yuri?"

Yuri shrugged. "I just wanted to be nice, I didn't want to hurt his feelings."

Naomi shook her head. "It must be nice to be so beautiful. You've gotten more confessions this week alone than I have in my entire life."

Yuri sighed. "I never asked anyone to confess to me."

Naomi rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "Oh, the trials and tribulations of Yuri Masuno."

Yuri couldn't help but laugh. "That's not what I meant."

"What I wanna know," Akane chimed in, "is why you keep rejecting everyone."

Yuri slipped a pencil and notebook from inside her desk as she realized she'd never actually told them about Tetsuro. Then again, there was no real reason for them to know. "I'm happy now."

Class began before either of them could press her for more information.

At lunch, Akane and Naomi sat with Yuri, pulling their desks up to hers. Just as they prepared to eat, a familiar voice called, "Yuri!"

Yuri turned to see Tetsuro approaching and he put his hand on her head. Akane and Naomi seemed very intimidated by his height.

"I'd like to steal her away for lunch, if you two will let me," he politely requested.

"Y-Yuri…" Akane stammered, "He called her by her first name."

"Oh," Yuri got to her feet, "I wanted to introduce you. Naomi and Akane, this is Tetsuro Kuroo. He's my boyfriend. Tetsuro, this is Naomi Ando and this is Akane Tarumi."

Akane and Naomi simultaneously gasped. "Yuri, you have a boyfriend?" Naomi gasped.

"And you didn't tell us?" Akane added.

Yuri tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well… I guess you two never asked."

"How long have you been together?" Naomi asked.

Yuri and Tetsuro exchanged a smile. "Our two year anniversary is on Thursday."

"Two years?" Akane exclaimed.

Both of them seemed to be overreacting as Tetsuro whispered to her, "Let's go before they notice."

Yuri nodded, following him out of the classroom and upstairs to the roof of the building. They sat on a bench and Yuri unwrapped her lunch. "Our second anniversary is already coming up," she smiled.

Tetsuro nodded. "Time flies."

Yuri nodded in agreement, not reacting as he snatched up a part of her lunch. "I have special plans for that day," she mused, "It's going to be really nice."

Tetsuro chuckled. "You mean like last year?"

Yuri blushed. "I still think it turned out good and you should appreciate my gifts more."

He laughed. "You tried to make me dinner and you burned it to a crisp."

Yuri looked away. "I guess I should stop giving you gifts then."

He laughed again, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. "Don't ever stop. It means the world to me, even if it tastes bad."

Yuri couldn't help but giggle, shaking her head. "You're so mean. And anyway, I got much better at cooking now. I'm taking a cooking class."

He nodded as he snatched up another part of her lunch. "Your lunches are much better than they used to be."

She met his gaze. "Come over after you finish practice."

He nodded again, already finishing up his own lunch. "Are you coming to watch?"

Yuri shook her head. "I have a lot of homework today and I want to get it done before you come over."

He took her hand, tracing bones from the back of her palm to her fingertips. "I know I should be used to it but it makes me nervous when you come to watch our practice."

Yuri giggled. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I try not to pay attention to it because I want to focus on practicing and improving all of our team's weak points but I can't help but notice when the guys are looking at you. Sometimes I hear them talking about you when they think I'm not listening and it bothers me."

Yuri set her lunch box on the bench on her other side before wrapping her arms around Tetsuro's waist, resting her cheek on his chest. "No matter what they say or do, it's only ever going to be you, Tetsu."

He nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I know that and I trust you. I just wish they would respect us. Maybe they do but you're too pretty."

Yuri laughed, shaking her head and closing her eyes. She always felt at ease being in his arms. He was always so warm. It was like her body never had enough warmth and he was made just to complete her. "I don't care what other people think of me," she murmured, "Your opinion is the only one that matters. If you want, I can stop going to the practices and then when you're done we can spend the night together and you can feel at peace knowing that those other guys would never get to even in their dreams."

Tetsuro laughed, shaking his head. "You can come to the practices if you want, just make sure to cheer for me extra loud. Let them all know who you're there for." Yuri giggled, nodding. She could sit like this with him all day but she knew there wasn't much time left for lunch. "Finish your lunch before we go back inside," he broke the silence, "You'll be hungry for the rest of the day if you don't."

Yuri shook her head. "I don't want to eat, I want to sit here like this with you until we die."

He lifted his hand that was over her shoulder and stroked her hair. Her eyes were still closed but she could feel him reach across her with his free hand, lifting up her lunch and setting it in her lap. He fed her the rest of her lunch so that she could get what she wanted and still be full. Once her lunch box was empty, Yuri's eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him. His eyes were glued to the pale blue sky.

"Yuri," he murmured. Her heart still fluttered, even after two whole years, at the sound of his voice saying her name. When he said it, her name sounded so beautiful. "What do you want to do next year?"

She continued gazing at him, too star struck by him for his words to settle in immediately. "I haven't thought about it," she finally admitted, "I only know that I want to be with you, no matter what."

He smiled, closing his eyes. "I'm glad we're on the same page." His gaze fell to hers. "Let's go before we're late."

Yuri nodded, although she would've gladly been late if it meant sitting like that with him for a while longer but she didn't want him to be late. She got to her feet, gathering her things as he did the same and they walked back inside together. They said goodbye once they parted ways and Yuri returned to her seat, where her friends were glaring at her.

"We're mad at you, Yuri," Akane said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah," Naomi added, "I can't believe you're dating that hunk and you didn't even tell us."

Yuri giggled, taking her seat. "I told you, it never came up."

"And on top of being a hunk, he's the captain of the volleyball team," Akane fumed, "No wonder you're not interested in any of these other boys."

Yuri continued smiling. "He wasn't the captain when we started dating. Anyway, that isn't important to me. It wasn't like I saw him once and fell for that love at first sight crap. We were friends before we started dating."

"Ooh," Naomi gushed, "That's so cute! Tell us more! Tell us everything!"

Yuri blushed, looking away. "I'd rather not."


	4. Chapter 4

At the end of the day, Yuri went straight home as she told Tetsuro she planned to do. She finished up all her homework for the day and took a bath to relax herself. She put on her pajamas afterwards, returning to her bedroom to find Tetsuro already lying in her bed in his own pajamas. Yuri smiled, climbing into bed beside him and pulling up the blanket over the two of them.

"How was practice?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Same old, same old. How was homework?"

She shrugged. "Same old, same old," she teased.

He chuckled before pulling himself up on top of her. "Are you tired?"

"Yes," she answered quickly.

"Oh, Yuri," he sighed, "Let's make tonight the night we do it."

Yuri smiled. She used to get embarrassed when he asked but now she was used to it. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. "Goodnight, Tetsu," she murmured.

He relaxed on top of her. "Goodnight, Yuri," he answered and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. It made her wonder if being close like this was as soothing for him as it was for her.

"I love you, Tetsu," she added.

He reached over to turn off the lamp on her nightstand before returning his hand to her side. "I love you too, Yuri."

She fell asleep quickly, as she always seemed to do when he was over.

The next morning, they walked to school together and they arrived a bit early. Tetsuro decided they had enough time to hide away on the side of the school building where they had been yesterday.

"I'm so glad that little boy from yesterday found this spot for us," he sighed with relief as he lifted Yuri up, leaning her against the wall.

Yuri giggled, wrapping her legs around him. "I didn't see him in class yesterday after that. I think you scarred him. Maybe he transferred schools."

Tetsuro shrugged. "I don't care." He pressed his lips to hers firmly. Kissing him really felt like a drug. It was euphoric and he always knew exactly what he was doing, as if he'd done this a million times before but she knew he just kissed the way he instinctively knew how to. He was just a naturally good kisser and he always has been. Yuri felt as if she was melting into him through his lips, with her eyes closed and she could swear that she was standing at the gates of heaven.

Her arms were tight around his neck and his were just as firmly holding her waist, as if they were holding on to each other for dear life. It almost felt like she had been holding her breath and now she could finally breathe with his lips to hers. He was her oxygen and without him, she wouldn't be able to breathe. After so much time spent with him, she would never even consider a future without him and she prayed the day would never come where he would look to a future without her. He was like a part of her now. He was her warmth, her oxygen, her other half, her best friend; as long as she had him, she could conquer anything.

He broke the kiss suddenly and Yuri needed a minute to recall where they were before she realized that Tetsuro was gazing at something off to the side, towards the side of the school where the entrance was. Yuri followed his gaze to see Naomi and Akane watching intently and Yuri's face turned bright red. She slipped from Tetsuro's grasp, approaching them.

"What are you guys doing?" she scolded out of her embarrassment, giving them both a smack on the head.

"If you don't want people to watch then why would you do that at school?" Naomi teased and Yuri's face blushed even more.

She pushed past them. "I'm going to class. I'll see you later, Tetsu."

Naomi and Akane followed closely behind Yuri, talking about her as if she weren't there. "Did you see how cute they look together?" Naomi gushed.

"I've never seen Yuri show so much expression before," Akane teased, "She's like a corpse that came to life."

"I would come back from the dead too if a boy like that picked me up and kissed me," Naomi mused, "He's so handsome. Did you see his arms? And Yuri's so much smaller than him. I bet lifting her up is probably like lifting up a little baby for him."

"He's so much taller than her," Akane added, "I think the only way they can kiss comfortably is if he picks her up, or if they're sitting."

"You're right," Naomi gasped, "Or… if they're lying down!"

Both of them gasped at the thought and Yuri, irritated, snapped, "Can you two stop talking about me like I'm not here? And stop talking about Tetsuro too. I don't like it."

"We made her mad," Akane mused.

"I wonder why," Naomi chuckled, "If I had a boyfriend like that, I'd kiss him in front of everyone so that they'd know to leave him alone."

Yuri rolled her eyes, taking a seat at her desk. "That's true," Akane agreed as she sat at her own desk, "But if any girl has a crush on Kuroo, they'd be so heartbroken to find out that Yuri is his girlfriend. No one would ever be able to compete with that."

Naomi nodded in agreement and class started just in time to cut off their conversation, much to Yuri's relief.

Thursday fell on the same day that exam grades would be passed back again this year. Tetsuro's volleyball practice got a day off too, although the next day he would need to show up earlier due to their going away for practice again.

Although Yuri always missed him while he was away for practice or tournaments, she was quite relieved that she would get a week long break from him this time. She woke early in order to prepare for her date with him and had to rush to make it to school on time.

The school day went by incredibly slowly, considering how eager she was to spend the day with Tetsuro. She managed to make it through, though, and walked to her home with Tetsuro.

"So what are the big plans you have today?" he asked curiously, taking her hand.

"You'll see," she smiled. They arrived at her home and she led the way inside. "Are you hungry?" she asked, leading him into the dining room and pulling out a chair for him. He sat and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. "I really do love you, Tetsu," she murmured.

He held her hands over his chest. "I love you too, Yuri," he answered, "but aren't your parents home?"

Yuri shook her head. "My dad is working and I kicked my mom out for the day."

Yuri skipped back into the kitchen, finishing the food that she had already prepared to cook in the morning. This time, she cooked it to perfection, making Tetsuro's favorite food. She returned to the dining room with his plate and her own plate, sitting across from him.

"This actually looks really good," he complimented.

"Try it," she insisted and they both began to eat.

"It _is_ really good!"

She nodded. "See? You teased me so many times for messing up last time but while you were teasing me I was busy honing my skills."

He chuckled. "I think you just got lucky this time."

Yuri pouted. "So mean!"

He laughed. "Really, thank you for this, Yuri."

They finished eating and Tetsuro helped her clean up the table and the dishes so that they could finish up faster. Afterwards, Yuri led him upstairs and sat down on the ground. He sat across from her, the same way they would when she helped him study while they were first-years.

"I got you something," she broke the silence and reached into her school bag.

"You didn't have to get me anything," he said but she had already retrieved a box from her bag, handing it to him.

He opened it slowly to reveal a chain necklace. It was fancy, and in the box of an expensive nearby jewelry store. "It's for good luck," she told him as she crawled towards him. She lifted the necklace out of his hand and reached around his neck, buckling it. "May this year be the best year Nekoma's volleyball team ever has. How could it not be when you're their captain?"

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. "You really are the best, Yuri." He held her for a few moments before reaching into his pocket, releasing her. "I got you something too."

He retrieved a box, smaller than the one she'd given him, and he opened it to reveal a bracelet. It was a simple band with a diamond in the middle, like a ring, but bigger. "This is beautiful," she gasped as he buckled it on to her wrist, "Where did you get the money for this?"

He chuckled. "Well, I did a couple odd jobs here and there and my parents helped. To put it simply, I probably won't get an allowance ever again."

Yuri giggled, kissing his cheek. "You're so cute." She got to her feet and sat down on the bed, her cheeks flushing pink and she avoided his gaze. "So, Tetsu… I've been thinking about it for the past few days and… I think I want tonight to be the night."


	5. Chapter 5

There was a long silence and Yuri finally met Tetsuro's gaze to see that he was blushing too. "Really?" he asked, "Do you mean it?"

Yuri nodded, shyly, before lying down on her back and gazing up at the ceiling. He lied down on top of her, kissing her lips gently. "You don't have to do it yet if you're not ready," he told her.

She shook her head. "I've thought about it a lot. I wanted my first time to be really special and I want it to be with you, of course. I think tonight would be a good night. If we don't do it tonight, we won't get another chance until next year."

He chuckled, kissing her again. "I'll take care of you, Yuri. Just tell me if you want to stop or if you're not comfortable."

She nodded and he moved his kisses to her neck. Although he was trying to hide it to keep her comfortable, she could sense that he was just as nervous as she was. He seemed to know what he was doing, although she was certain it just came naturally to him, as kissing did. He pulled off her top, tossing the ribbon around her neck off to the side and she knew her face was beet red. Even Tetsuro had never see her without her top and she was shy. He helped her take it off, hesitantly reaching around her back to unbuckle her bra. Although she was growing more and more embarrassed, she didn't want to turn back. There was no one else she'd rather be with.

He kissed her chest and she closed her eyes tightly, biting her lip. She couldn't watch him anymore; it was too embarrassing. When he pulled off her skirt and panties, she knew she'd made the right decision to close her eyes because if she looked now she might explode with embarrassment.

"Are you okay, Yuri?" he asked her.

She nodded before he trailed kisses down her chest and belly until he reached her spot and she was unprepared, almost jumping away from him but he held her down by her hips. She relaxed at the sudden intense pleasure she felt, unable to bite back a moan. As she quickly grew closer to her climax, she decided to open her eyes again, gazing down at him.

"Tetsu," she panted, "come here." He gazed at her for a moment before chuckling. "What?" she questioned, furrowing her brow.

He shrugged as he took off his own top. "Nothing, it's just that I think I had a dream like this before." He imitated her expression before panting, "Tetsu… come here…"

She laughed, blushing again. "Hurry up before I change my mind."

He undressed quickly, lying on top of her. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded.

She closed her eyes again as she felt him touching her before he penetrated. She gasped, tightly wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded again and he began moving his hips. Although she'd kicked out her mom just as a precaution, she was relieved that she had because she was sure her mother would be able to hear if she were home. Yuri couldn't control her voice; it was as if he'd put her under a spell. It didn't take long before she climaxed.

"Already?" he teased.

She was too busy recovering from the intensity of it to respond to him. She felt him finish before he pulled away, lying on his back beside her.

When they both relaxed, he asked her, "How do you feel?"

"Dirty," she quickly answered, getting to her feet. She was grateful for the bathroom attached to her bedroom as she entered and took her time cleaning herself up. She changed into her pajamas before poking her head out to see that he was already ready for bed, lying under her blanket in his pajamas.

Yuri smiled, approaching and climbing into bed with him. "Do you regret it?" he asked, folding her into his arms and holding her close. She shook her head. "I'm glad. I don't either."

"Have you done it before?" she asked.

He chuckled. "No, of course not. We started dating two years ago, remember? Before that I was just a kid."

She nodded. "That's true. I asked because you did it like you've done it a million times before."

He chuckled again, kissing her head. "Really? I'm glad to hear that you liked it, then."

They fell asleep quickly and the next morning, Yuri awoke when Tetsuro woke, since he needed to get up early to make it in time for his practice. He showered while Yuri went downstairs, greeting her mother good morning and taking a seat at the counter island.

"So how was it?" her mother asked.

"How was what?" Yuri yawned.

"Your anniversary!"

"Oh," Yuri mused as she recalled the day before, "It was… great."

Her mother gazed at her suspiciously but didn't dwell on the subject as she prepared breakfast for three. Yuri's father had already gone to work by now.

Tetsuro joined, already dressed in his training gear, greeting Yuri's mother as if she were his own. He'd gotten close to Yuri's family since they'd been together, especially since her parents let him spend nights over. Yuri had also gotten close to his family as well.

Her mother gave them each a plate, setting up as she took a seat on Yuri's other side. They began eating quietly as Yuri's mother broke the silence. "So what do you to plan to do after graduation?"

Yuri exchanged a glance with Tetsuro, who answered, "We haven't thought about it much yet."

"You should get to thinking about it," she warned, "A lot of couples break up after high school because they don't see each other anymore."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, mom," Yuri muttered.

"I'm just saying the truth," she continued, "It's a problem that's easy to fix. You could go to the same university or you could move in together or just plan specific times to see each other."

Yuri sighed. "It's too early in the morning to think."

Tetsuro chuckled. "Speak for yourself. I'll do plenty of thinking on my way to practice."

"I don't know how you do it," Yuri mused, "You finish school and then have practice every day early in the morning. When is your time to sleep all day?"

He laughed. "I don't want to sleep all day. The teams that get to rest and sleep all day are the teams that lose in the tournaments."

She smiled, finishing up her breakfast before taking it to the sink to clean off her plate. She turned to face Tetsuro, who'd also finished eating and was getting ready to leave. She followed him to the door.

"Good luck," she told him, "I just know we're going to make it to nationals this year. I can feel it in my gut."

He chuckled, giving her a quick peck on the lips since her mother wasn't near. "We still have time to practice before the tournament this year. I have a good feeling too."

Yuri nodded. "Whip your guys into shape, then. You guys will do great."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement," he smiled, "I'll come see you the day I come back."

She pulled him into a hug, since he was a step lower than her at the door and she could just reach if she stood on her toes. "I can reach your shoulders," she giggled, "It's like we're first-years again."

He chuckled, returning her hug firmly before turning away, opening the front door. "I love you, Yuri," he murmured soft enough so that her mother wouldn't hear.

"I love you too, Tetsu," she answered, giving him a smile.

He returned her smile before stepping out, closing the door behind him. Yuri sighed, feeling as if she already missed him. She ascended the stairs, approaching her room as she wondered what he really wanted to do next year. Had he decided what he wanted to study or what university he wanted to go to? Did he plan a future that left enough room for Yuri?

Yuri's thoughts wandered back to the suggestions her mother gave. What would it be like to live with him? She loved waking up next to him and she never had trouble sleeping if he was sleeping next to her. She smiled, imagining the two of them finding an apartment somewhere not too far off with a nice view and a bigger bed. They could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. They'd be comfortable kissing over breakfast or hugging or holding hands when they felt like it and no one would be around to make them feel shy about it. They could even do what they did last night without worrying if someone was home to hear. Yuri blushed at the though. If they lived together, would there be a time when she didn't feel shy about it? Would there be a time when she could even take the lead without feeling embarrassed? She blushed even more at the thought.

For now, all she knew was that she didn't want last night to be the last time they'd ever do that. She felt closer to him now; he'd seen a part of her that no one else in the world had ever seen.


	6. Chapter 6

Summer break ended and Yuri had hardly seen any of Tetsuro, which was the usual for summer. There was always a tournament to start off fall so the volleyball team spent a ton of time practicing and away from practice too. There were a couple of nights where she took the train over to him and she brought him some snacks and they went for quick walks. Other than that, they mostly communicated through text message and she did sent him a number of risqué pictures.

Yuri arrived to class, taking a seat in her usual spot when she noticed that Akane had changed seats to sit up front and she was chatting with some other girls. Yuri gazed at Naomi on her other side, who had her headphones in and seemed to be rushing to finish up the remainder of her summer homework.

That was peculiar.

Yuri didn't mind it, returning her gaze to the front. Class droned on as usual and at lunch, Yuri turned to Naomi. "What happened to Akane?" she asked curiously, "Did you two get into a fight?"

Naomi seemed genuinely sympathetic. "It's because of what happened to you. You… Don't tell me you haven't heard?" Yuri gazed at her, puzzled, and she reached over, putting her hand over hers. "I'm not going to be the one to tell you but I just want you to know that you're not alone." She got to her feet and walked off somewhere, leaving Yuri clueless.

Yuri considered approaching Akane but she seemed to be having a good time with her new friends so she didn't want to disturb them. Just as she got to her feet and approached the door, she heard voices outside.

"I can't believe a girl like her would do something like this," one voice said, "It's insane."

"Is she even thinking about her boyfriend?" another voice muttered, "It's like she wants him to get banned from club activities. And he's the _captain_ of the volleyball team."

At that, Yuri was certain they were talking about her. The question was, what were they talking about? She withdrew her cell phone from her bag and opened Facebook. The first thing on her newsfeed was the link to a webpage and she opened it to find a series of photos and it took her a few long minutes to register that they were the photos she'd sent to Tetsuro. Her heart raced with fear as she gazed at the page, wide-eyed. Was this a dream?

She clicked one of the links on top that said 'About' and scrolled through. The poster was anonymous but it was someone who happened to walk by the volleyball practice and they snuck Tetsuro's cell phone out of his bag, stealing the pictures, and leaving. But how could anyone know about them? Yuri was certain that Tetsuro would never show anyone. Even if he didn't care about her feelings, he was too possessive to ever show anyone else what he had. She knew that he also respected her too much. Would someone really do something so risky on a whim? She clenched her cell phone to her chest and stepped out into the hall.

She could hear whispers all around her, commenting how lewd and gross she is, and also how much she must disrespect Tetsuro. Why _did_ she send him those pictures? Did he ask for them? She couldn't remember anymore. She was overwhelmed and her mind was racing with thoughts. She couldn't recall the next few moments until she found herself standing in the gym where the volleyball club played. She took a seat at one of the bleachers, gazing off into the distance. Her mind was spinning and her thoughts were racing and becoming jumbled. She couldn't seem to recall whether or not Tetsuro asked for those pictures or if she'd sent them to him without him wanting them. She couldn't seem to recall whether or not she really deserved him. Perhaps she'd created all of this in her head and he just went along to make her feel better. How much of her life must have been her imagination?

She was snapped back into reality at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Yuri, can you hear me?"

She turned to look at Tetsuro to see a look of concern on his face and he held her face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears that she didn't seem to realize were there until he did.

"Yuri, what's wrong? What happened to you?"

"Tetsuro," she answered, her thoughts still jumbled, "Can I… ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Did… Did I…" she stammered, struggling to remember what she wanted to ask, "Did you ask me for those pictures?"

"Yuri," Tetsuro put a hand to her forehead, "Are you okay? Are you sick? I don't understand you."

She shook her head. "Those pictures I sent you while you were away. Did you… ask for them?"

"You don't remember?" he seemed incredibly concerned, "Yes, I did. Why are you asking me that now?"

Suddenly, the storm in her head cleared and she buried her face into his chest, letting him wrap his arms around her.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his voice soft, "I saw you walk off like a zombie and I followed you here."

She broke into sobs, crying into his clothes and holding on to him as tightly as she could.

She handed him her cell phone and he unlocked it to see the page that she was on. There was a long silence before he wrapped his arms around her again, holding her tightly.

"Yuri," he whispered, "I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

She continued to cry, shaking her head. "I was stupid to send you those pictures."

"How many people have seen this?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered, "All I know is that everyone I passed was talking about it. Everyone was saying I'm irresponsible because this could get you banned from club activities."

"That's not gonna happen," he reassured, "Listen to me, Yuri. I'm going to find out who did this and I'm going to make sure it goes away. I'll take care of everything."

"But everyone that saw it can't unsee it," she continued, still crying into his chest.

"Everyone will forget about it not long after it disappears." He took her hand, getting to his feet and pulling her to hers. "Let's go. I'll walk you home."

Yuri didn't object, silently following behind him as he led the way outside through the gym so that they wouldn't have to pass by anyone. He walked her home in silence and Yuri was grateful that her mother wasn't home as he led her straight up to her room. She lied down in her bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and Tetsuro knelt down beside her, stroking her hair.

"Don't blame yourself, Yuri," he murmured, "It's my fault. I was the one who pressured you into it."

Yuri sniffled. "Can you stay here with me?"

He nibbled on his lip. "I want to but… I have to go to class so I can go to practice. But I promise you I'll come straight over and I'll spend the night here tonight." Yuri closed her eyes. She was afraid to be alone because her thoughts might begin to spin again. She felt Tetsuro stroke her hair and felt calmer under his touch. "Don't look at that page or think about it at all. I'll make the problem go away and I'll make sure everyone knows that messing with you is even worse than messing with me."

She felt his lips touch her forehead. "I love you, Tetsuro," she murmured.

He pecked her lips. "I love you too, Yuri. I'll be back as soon as I finish practice."

Yuri nodded, opening her eyes and watching him walk out of the room. She could hear his footsteps descending the stairs and a few seconds later, she heard the front door close. She was alone again. Her gaze wandered to the clock and she wondered if he'd be able to make it in time for class. Students technically weren't supposed to leave the building during lunch but what the teachers didn't know wouldn't hurt them, as long as he made it back on time.

Yuri lied in her bed, gazing at the wall for a few long moments until she finally mustered up the motivation to get out of bed and change into something more comfortable. She threw on one of Tetsuro's t-shirts that he left at her house and some shorts before climbing back into her bed. Wearing his shirt made her feel like she was lying next to him; it smelled like him and it felt warmer than her own shirts.


	7. Chapter 7

Yuri awoke hours later without even realizing she'd fallen asleep. She recalled thinking of how comfortable Tetsuro's shirt was and she must've fallen asleep while her head was too far in the clouds. She gazed up at the clock on her wall to see that it was just about time for school to end. She figured it was an opportunity and she put on one of her own shirts and a pair of jean shorts before heading out the door. She could still make it to the volleyball practice before they started.

Yuri's mother didn't seem to notice that she'd come home early although she would realize it when she heard the front door close. Yuri walked in silence, gazing at her feet. She wasn't sure how going back to school would feel but she wanted to be close to Tetsuro and she wanted to watch the team play. She arrived at school and entered through the gymnasium, leaning over the railing where she had always watched since she was a first-year. She recalled the day she'd met Tetsuro; she wished she could get those days back.

Her eyes watched Tetsuro. He seemed so happy while he was playing volleyball; it was like his safe place. This was a safe place, she mentally noted. Everyone left their problems and dramas at the door and everyone on the court seemed to get along like a second family. His gaze met hers and the expression on his face changed suddenly. He went from being happy to being surprised and concerned and it made Yuri wonder if she looked okay. She'd forgotten to look in the mirror after she woke up; perhaps her hair needed combing or maybe she had drool on her face. She lifted her fingers to check if there was drool when she noticed he was smiling again, but he was smiling at her. She managed to return the smile. She felt safe here.

Perhaps that was the reason why she'd wandered off to the gym when she felt like she was losing her mind.

He seemed much more pumped up after exchanging a smile with her and it made her heart flutter. He cared so much about her. She needed to make sure she always held on to him because she was certain that a mutual love this great was very rare and they were the lucky ones.

The practice was intense, since they would be going away for a tournament very soon. Yuri couldn't help but recall how awkward and weak the team was compared to now. Nekoma's boys' volleyball club had the potential to become one of the most powerful schools in Tokyo. She was certain they would make it to nationals.

She watched until they finished, watching them all hurry off into the club room. All except one; Nobuyuki Kai, the wing spiker and now vice-captain that she'd helped with receiving.

"Masuno," he called up to her, "come down here."

Yuri nodded and descended the stairs to the floor of the gym, which was hot and smelled like sweat. She approached him and it felt strange to be in the gym while it was so quiet; everyone else had left already.

"I heard about what happened today," he spoke slowly, as if he wasn't sure how to word it, "I just want you to know that you're not alone. I'm sure that Kuroo has already told you that enough, but if, for some reason, you can't go to him you can talk to me. Any of us on the team are on your side. You're not alone."

Yuri gave him a smile. Somehow, she felt healed. "Thank you," she answered, "It means a lot. I don't want him to get in trouble because of me."

Nobuyuki chuckled. "Don't worry about that, it won't happen. If he got in trouble over it, all of us would raise hell. He knows how to handle sticky situations. I'm sure he's already scheming as we speak."

Yuri laughed. "You're right. Thank you again."

He shook his head. "No problem."

He gave her a wave before walking away, leaving Yuri alone in the gym. She stood there a moment, closing her eyes. The air felt heavy and hot on the floor. Over the years, she'd grown dependent on volleyball to keep her mind stable. Whenever something bad happened, she ended up watching the team. Of course, it was only ever practices and the occasional practice match so she never felt stressed from watching. She wasn't sure she would be able to handle watching a real game in a tournament, as much as she'd love to go cheer on Tetsuro.

"Yuri," his voice called out to her, echoing in the gym. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw him standing at the entrance. "Let's go."

She smiled, approaching him and weaving her arm through his. "I love you, Tetsu."

"I love you too," he chuckled, "You seem much better."

She continued smiling. "I just feel really loved."

They walked to her home in silence and when they arrived, her mother was just setting dinner. She eyed Yuri as she and Tetsuro sat at the dinner table.

"Did you come home early today?" she asked as she sat down herself.

Yuri gazed down at her plate. "I just… didn't feel good."

"Well… you look fine but I'll trust you," she muttered, "Since you haven't tried to fake sick since junior high."

Yuri felt relieved as they all began eating. The topic was dropped.

"So have you thought about university?" her mother asked.

Yuri glanced at Tetsuro. "I don't know about that yet but… I've been thinking about what I want to do after graduation."

"Me too," he chimed in, "I've thought about it a lot since the last time. I think it would be nice if we…" he almost trailed off until he met Yuri's gaze, "… if we moved in together when we're old enough."

Yuri smiled. "I was thinking the same thing."

He appeared relieved, returning her smile, and Yuri giggled. "Well, I'm glad you two have decided on something," her mother teased, "But, unfortunately, university will happen before that."

"I don't really care about what university I go to," Yuri mused, "Is there a neko university too? That's the kind of school I want to go to."

Tetsuro laughed and her mother shook her head. "Oh, Yuri," she sighed, "What are we going to do with you?"

They finished eating and Tetsuro took a bath while Yuri prepared to go to bed, changing into her pajamas. She gazed at her cell phone that she'd left on her nightstand before, wondering if checking it was safe. Forcing herself to be strong, recalling Nobuyuki's words from before, she lifted it up and pressed the button. The only notification was a new message from Akane.

Yuri's heart raced. Would it be okay to open a message from her? She seemed to have to turned on Yuri after the whole situation played out. Nibbling on her lip, she opened the message.

_'Hey, I'm sorry about what happened to you. At first, I wasn't sure how to feel but after I saw how upset you looked I felt bad. Can we talk like normal again?'_

Yuri sighed with relief, quickly responding with a big yes. Maybe she _had_ overreacted to everything. Once the website was done, everyone would forget about it and Yuri was sure Tetsuro would be able to take care of that. Otherwise, all that would matter were the people she cared about. She didn't want to lose anyone.

She sat on the edge of her bed, feeling much better. As if on cue, the door opened and Tetsuro entered. "You look happy," he mused, eyeing her.

She grinned before jumping to her feet and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm really happy I chose Nekoma High," she told him, "If I didn't, I never would've met you or any of the guys on the volleyball team or Naomi or Akane."

He put one hand on her head, using the other to stroke her back. "I'm happy if you're happy."

Yuri closed her eyes. If they held each other like this, she could forget about the world and everything else. All she needed was this. It was like medicinal healing, being in his arms; all her wounds were cured, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"Tetsuro," she murmured as he slipped from her arms, lying down on her bed. He gazed at her, waiting for her to continue. She approached slowly before lying down on top of him, her face so close to his that she could feel his breath on her face. "Let's do it again."

He smiled, pulling her into a kiss. "Anything for you," he murmured as he pulled off her top.

She closed her eyes, feeling very aware of his hands and how they felt on her body. It was like anywhere he touched felt amazing, almost like he was a drug to her. His arms never left her body as he undressed her and they felt so warm. She was reminded that without him, she'd feel too cold all the time.

He unbuckled her bra and she moved her arms so that it would fall off before tossing it aside. She helped him pull off his own shirt and one of his hands explored her chest. The last time, he'd never really touched her with his hands as much, only his lips. His being so grabby was exciting her. She kissed him as passionately as she could, pouring every ounce of her soul into the kiss. She could tell he felt it by the change in movements his body made. Then one of his hands slid down into her pants, touching her sweet spot.

She broke the kiss to bite her lip, squeezing her eyes shut as she had to force down the moans. Her mother was home this time so she couldn't be so careless.

"Are you struggling?" he asked her and she nodded. "Good," he chuckled, moving his hand deeper.

She gasped, leaning forward and biting into the pillow over his shoulder. This was much more difficult than she thought. Just as she was certain she'd reach her climax, he slipped his hands out of her pants, leaving her yearning for more.

"Do you want it?" he asked her, his voice soft.

"Yes," she answered, her voice breathy.

He helped her pull off her pants and panties and she helped him get his off too before she let him hold her against him with one hand and used the other to guide as he penetrated her.

She gasped before biting down on the pillow again, feeling the ecstasy in her entire body. His arms were tightly wrapped around her waist and her nails were digging into his shoulders. Every movement he made, made her struggle to keep quiet until she climaxed, gasping again and panting for air.

Tetsuro laughed at her, shaking his head. "You always finish so fast," he teased.

"It's because you're too good at this," she breathed, still panting.

He pressed his lips to hers again, continuing to move until she felt him finish as well. Afterwards, she cleaned herself up in the bathroom before returning to bed, cuddling with Tetsuro until she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Yuri felt a bit intimidated at going to school again but after the support she'd received from Nobuyuki and Tetsuro, along with making up with Akane, she felt confident. She and Tetsuro walked to school together.

"How do you feel?" he broke the silence.

Yuri gazed at the floor. "I feel a little scared, but… I think I can handle it."

He smiled. "I'm glad. If you need me, remember I'm in class five. Pull me out if something happens. I don't care if we're in the middle of a lesson and you come in screaming."

Yuri laughed. "I think I wouldn't be able to do that, but I'll be sure to go to you if something happens. Thank you, Tetsu."

They arrived at the school building and the anxiety was beginning to hit her. She could feel all eyes on her, especially walking with Tetsuro.

"What's he still doing with her?" she heard one person say as they walked past and her gaze fell to her feet.

"He's asking to get in trouble if he's still hanging around that girl."

"I can't believe she'd do something like that."

Yuri's heart was beating a mile a minute when Tetsuro took hold of her wrist, pulling her faster through the crowd. "Keep your chin up," he reminded her, "This will all be over very soon. Don't give them a reason."

Yuri nodded, lifting her chin and letting him lead the way inside the school. Watching him in front of her, pulling her along by her wrist, put her heart at ease. Tetsuro was here with her, and he would be, every step of the way. He could handle this.

He stopped at her classroom, standing behind her as she took her seat before leaning forward. "Don't forget to come get me if you feel overwhelmed," he whispered to her and she nodded, lifting her gaze to him.

"Thank you, Tetsuro," she murmured.

He gave her a reassuring smile before walking out of the room. Yuri didn't want to look up. She only wanted to stare down at her desk until class started. She was afraid to see how people were looking at her or what people were saying. She closed her eyes, feeling her heartbeat accelerate again. If only Tetsuro was in her class, she wondered. Would that make things better or worse? Emotionally, she'd feel much better but if he were there, maybe the whispers would be just as loud and frequent as they were outside.

"Yuri," Naomi's voice made Yuri jump back into reality. Naomi chuckled. "Yuri, I'm sorry. I was a little mean to you yesterday. I thought about it all day after you left and I realized that I don't care what you choose to do with your boyfriend and I don't care what people say about you. You're a good friend and I don't want to lose you."

Yuri had to fight back tears at her words, giving her a smile. "Thank you, Naomi. It means a lot to me."

Naomi reached over, taking her hand comfortingly. "Akane is a lot shallower than I thought," she muttered.

Yuri shook her head. "No, actually she apologized last night," she said.

Naomi scratched her chin. "Are you sure? I wouldn't trust her, Yuri. She seemed pretty mad yesterday."

Yuri shrugged. "We'll see if she's lying when she comes."

As if on cue, Akane sat down on the other side of Yuri and both girls turned to her. "Hi," she greeted, blushing, "I… I'm sorry, Yuri."

Yuri examined her expression. She didn't seem to be lying. "I'm just glad I won't lose you," Yuri told her and Akane's blush grew.

"Let's hang out," Akane smiled, "Just us three. We can have a girls' night."

Yuri smiled. "That sounds fun," she turned to Naomi, "What do you think, Naomi?"

Naomi still seemed weary although she gave a forced smile and nodded.

"Then it's settled," Akane announced, although Yuri continued gazing at Naomi.

Class began before they could talk any further.

At the end of class, Akane hurried off, saying she'd text when she was ready. Yuri walked with Naomi towards the gym.

"Are you sure about this, Yuri?" Naomi sighed, "I can't shake the feeling that Akane is playing us."

Yuri shrugged. "I don't know, Naomi. But I want to give her a chance."

Naomi sighed again. "That big heart of yours is gonna end up getting you killed one of these days."

Yuri nearly collided with Tetsuro as he left his classroom and she gave him a smile.

"You didn't come for me," he mused, "I wasn't sure if I should be worried or relieved but it looks like I have nothing to worry about."

Yuri nodded. "I'll be okay for now," she told him, "Naomi and I are going to watch your practice for a while but we're going somewhere later."

"Where are you going?" he asked, curiously.

She smiled. "Akane wants to hang out. I don't know what she's planned though."

"Have fun then, Yuri," he mused.

Yuri nodded. "You too."

He walked in a different direction, towards the club room and Yuri led the way into the gym. "Is this what you do every day?" Naomi asked.

Yuri nodded. "Yeah, it's nice. I've been into volleyball since junior high."

"Why don't you just join the girls' team?" she pointed out.

Yuri quickly shook her head. "I could never. The stress and pressure would be too much for me. Also I'm too small to play."

Naomi chuckled. "Isn't it boring to just watch them practice?"

Yuri shook her head, taking a seat at the bleachers beside Naomi. "Not at all. I think it's fun to watch. Going to games would be too stressful though so I'll stick with the practice."

Naomi laughed. "You don't even go to your boyfriend's games to cheer him on?"

Yuri shrugged. "I'm cheering him on, just not actually at the game."

Practice started and the players did as they usually did at practice, with Yuri explaining to Naomi what everything meant. After about half an hour, Akane texted them and told them to meet her at an address that seemed to be near downtown.

Yuri and Naomi boarded the train, Naomi still appearing uneasy. "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want, Yuri?" she asked, "If you really want to, we can take this train to my place and have a sleepover instead."

Yuri shook her head. "What if she's really trying to make amends? I don't want to hurt her."

Naomi sighed and didn't object the rest of the way. They arrived at the address and it was, indeed, near downtown, although not close enough to be near the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo. It was in a quiet area at what appeared to be someone's house. Yuri felt relieved, after almost beginning to believe Naomi's warnings. She wasn't sure how to feel. Perhaps it was just her clinging on to the past that kept her from turning back and listening to Naomi. Perhaps it was hope. Something inside Yuri told her she needed to see what was in that house. If Naomi was right, then Yuri could learn and move on but if she was wrong, then Akane would stay in her life.

Regardless, Yuri didn't have time to think as she approached and knocked on the door. Akane opened it, greeting them both with a smile and inviting them inside. Then, after that point, Yuri's memories seemed distorted.

She felt someone grab her; it felt like a grown man. She watched the girls who sat with Akane grab Naomi to hold her back as the man threw Yuri to the ground, tying her hands and feet. She couldn't seem to make her mouth move or make words. All she felt was horror, betrayal, confusion, and brokenhearted. She wondered if Tetsuro could feel that somethings wrong, since he always seemed to just know things. She wondered if the boy who grabbed her went to school with her. He had a ski mask on and her vision was blurring too much to see. Her thoughts were spinning.

She hardly noticed that he'd ripped open her shirt or that he was taking pictures. He didn't touch her. All he did was pull off her clothes and take pictures. Yuri wondered what her facial expression looked like. She wondered if she had any expression on her face at all.

She wondered if any of her classmates' parents saw that website of her and told them to avoid her because they didn't want their kids around someone like that. Yuri wondered if she would tell her kids the same or if her own mother would tell her the same if it were someone else.

Yuri wondered if the roles were switched and Akane was the one in the pictures, if she would do something like this to her. She'd always loved Akane like a sister, after spending so much time with her. Yuri wasn't sure what she was feeling, or what was happening, or even what exactly was going through her mind. In the end, everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

Yuri could feel someone cradling her like a child. Perhaps it was a bad dream and she'd fallen asleep on the couch again and her father was carrying her up to her room. She wondered if she'd managed to finish her homework before falling asleep. Shiratorizawa had a strict no late work policy so if she didn't finish on time, she wouldn't make it. Perhaps she could wake up early and do it in the morning. Then again, that wasn't going to happen.

She felt a couple drops of water hit her hands over her stomach. Maybe she was recalling the situation wrong. Had she fallen unconscious at school? Maybe she'd fallen asleep at the volleyball practice and was being carried home in the rain. Then again, who would carry her home in the rain? There was no one at school. Her father would but he didn't go to school with her. A familiar, warm image popped into her head of a gorgeous boy with a black bedhead but she couldn't seem to put a name to the face.

"Yuri…"

The voice she heard was so familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time. The way it sounded broke her heart. The person speaking had a shaky voice, like they were crying.

"Yuri, I'm so sorry."

Yuri's eyes fluttered open and she found herself gazing up at the gorgeous boy with the black bedhead. The sun had set and the stars were shining behind him. All was quiet. Tears fell from his eyes.

"I should've been there, Yuri. I shouldn't have let you go."

Suddenly, realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she began to feel tears well in her eyes as well, gazing up at Tetsuro. She'd never seen him cry before. He'd always been so strong, no matter what. Even when he fought hard in the tournaments, he would come home ready to improve for the next one instead of crying about losing. Only part of the reason behind her tears was for what happened; most of it was because seeing him like that broke her heart.

Yuri pulled herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tightly. He stopped in his tracks, surprised, before holding her tightly.

"Don't cry over me," she murmured, "There was nothing you could've done to protect me. I don't want you to take the blame for my own mistake."

"Yuri," he barely spoke above a whisper, burying his face into her shoulder, "I just… hate that this happened. I hate that someone did this to you. If I hadn't been so careless with my cellphone, this never would've happened."

Yuri shook her head. "You can't change the past, Tetsuro. There's no point in regretting. You don't have to rescue me every time something bad happens if it'll hurt you. I don't want you to feel hurt, ever. I just want to give you a reason to be happy."

He held her tightly, silently crying into her shoulder. "I feel like I failed you," he murmured, "I'm sorry, Yuri. I'll fix this for you… I promise. I'll make this all go away and I'll make everyone who hurt you regret ever even looking in your direction."

Yuri nodded. "Yes. Focus on that now. Don't be sad over what could've happened when you can focus on the future."

He lifted his face, letting her wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry, Yuri," he chuckled, "I didn't want you to see me like this but… when Ando called me from your phone and told me to come and get you I panicked, especially when I saw you. Your clothes were all ripped apart and you were unconscious but you were crying. I kept thinking if only I came sooner, if only I told you to stay and watch practice instead, if only I did something different to protect you."

Yuri shook her head quickly, holding his face in her hands. "The important thing is you're here now. That's all I need, Tetsu. I don't need you to be around to save me every time a storm hits, I just need you to be there afterwards to pick up the pieces. I had a lesson I needed to learn today. Naomi told me over and over that she didn't trust Akane and I didn't listen, even though I could feel it in my gut. I wanted to trust her."

He leaned forward, gently kissing her lips. "Don't worry, Yuri." His expression changed into a much more serious, determined one. "All the people who hurt you will regret it. I'm out for blood."

Yuri awoke to the sound of her alarm clock ringing, her eyes fluttering open just in time to see Tetsuro reach over her, turning it off. She gazed at his tired face as he rubbed his eyes, yawning. He'd spent the day working out after school only to spend the night chasing after her and stressing over her. She gave him a smile.

"Good morning," she greeted.

He met her gaze before a smile broke his lips. "Good morning." Even his voice was tired, cracking midsentence.

She held his face in her hands, squishing his cheeks before pressing her lips to his. "Let's go get ready for school, my pretty boyfriend."

He chuckled. "Pretty?"

Yuri nodded. "Yes, my knight in shining armor."

He laughed, kissing her again and she sat up. "Yuri, are you sure you want to go to school today?"

Yuri leaned her head to one side thoughtfully. "I feel… fine, if I don't think about it." He gazed at her skeptically. "I honestly don't remember anything from last night. If I stay home, maybe I'll think too much until I start remembering. Then things will get bad."

"Isn't it better to face things head on?" he asked, very concerned.

"I don't know," she looked away, "I don't want to think about it right now. Come on, my gorgeous bedhead, if we don't get up now we'll be late."

"Bedhead?" he chuckled.

She took his hand, getting to her feet and pulling him to his. "Let's go, Tetsu."

They both got ready for the day before meeting in the kitchen with Yuri's mother, who was preparing breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted the two of them as they sat at the island.

"Good morning," they said in unison.

Yuri's mother raised an eyebrow at them. "Why did you come home so late last night?"

Yuri and Tetsuro exchanged a glance before Yuri met her mother's gaze. "We were out clubbing and getting drunk," she said with a serious expression on her face.

"Very funny," her mother mused, seeing through her, "And Tetsuro, aren't your parents worried? Do you two know that you can stay at his house too? Go see your parents, I'm sure they miss you."

Yuri chuckled. "Mom, you're being extra-naggy this morning. You're even nagging Tetsu and he's not your kid."

Yuri's mother set their food in front of them. "He might as well be my kid since I see him as much as I see you. All you have to do is get married and then he will be my kid by law."

"Get married?" Yuri mused, "What happened to you talking about university and graduation? Now that we decided to move in together in two years, you jump the gun to marriage?"

Yuri's mother tapped her chin. "I just care about you guys too much, is that it?"

Yuri and Tetsuro exchanged a glance before chuckling.

They finished their breakfast, Yuri's mother continuing on about how irresponsible the two were, before they were on their way to school.

"The spring tournament is coming up, isn't it?" Yuri mused, "I really feel it in my heart that Nekoma will do well this year. I think you guys are gonna go to nationals."

Tetsuro stopped walking suddenly, grasping her hand and pulling her to a stop as well. "Yuri, I think maybe you should go home and go back to sleep," he insisted, "It's not normal for you not to feel anything after something like that happened and I don't want things to get worse for you."

Yuri gazed at his hand holding hers, afraid to meet his gaze. "If something happens, I'll go home," she reassured, "I can't keep missing school. My mom will get suspicious and I need to go to class if I want to graduate with you."

He gazed at her for a few long moments before sighing. "Alright, Yuri. I'll trust your decision."

He released her hand and they began walking again in silence. Yuri could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew he was even more stressed about the situation than she was but she didn't know why. He wanted her to be happy and that's what she was, so what was the problem?

They arrived at school and he waved at her before breaking off to walk with his friends. Yuri sighed. As much as she loved being with him and as much as she felt having him near was soothing, she hated being a reason for him to feel stressed.

She walked to class undisturbed and greeted Naomi with a smile, who was gazing at her in shock.

"Yuri," she gasped, "what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home trying to get better?"

Yuri touched her chin. "I'm not sick."

Naomi shook her head. "Go home, Yuri," she insisted, "Go home. Why are you here? I even had to force myself to come to school after last night and I wasn't the victim. Things will get worse if you stay."

Yuri looked away as she took her seat. "What's with you and Tetsuro?" she muttered, "You both keep telling me to stay home."

"Because it's not normal to feel okay after that," Naomi exclaimed, "Go home, Yuri. Go home and cry and be sad about it and then no one will badger you."

"I feel fine," Yuri insisted, "I don't even remember anything after we got off the train."

Naomi gazed at Yuri with wide eyes. "Yuri… you don't remember?" Yuri shook her head. "You don't remember anything at all? Nothing?"

Yuri tapped her chin. "I remember we got off the train and walked and then things get fuzzy. I know something bad happened but I don't know what. After that, I just remember Tetsuro carrying me home."

"This is… worse than I thought," Naomi mumbled, looking away.

"What are you talking about?" Yuri asked, curiously.

Naomi wasn't able to respond before the teacher arrived and class began. Yuri was gazing at the teacher when she noticed Akane and some of the other girls kept glancing back at her. She wondered why everyone was so puzzled at her going to school. How could she stay home to cry if she couldn't even recall the night before?


	10. Chapter 10

The day went by normally until lunch arrived and Naomi quickly grasped Yuri's hand. "Let's go," she whispered, hurriedly, "If we leave right now, we can run out before-…"

"Hey, Yuri," Akane interrupted, speaking loud enough for her friends to hear, "Why are you at school today?"

Yuri furrowed her brow and Naomi answered, "Leave her alone, Akane. She didn't do anything for you to treat her so badly. You're just trying to act cool in front of your stupid friends when all of you are just bullies."

Akane seemed to grow even more infuriated with every word. "You clearly don't know anything about me," she fumed, "Both of you are so blind."

"Blind?" Naomi argued, "The only blind one I see here is you. Stop acting like a victim. What you did to the poor girl yesterday was awful and just being in the same class as you disgusts me."

"Hey," the teacher called from the front of the class, "If you keep fighting, you'll both find yourselves in detention tonight."

Yuri could feel eyes watching her and she turned to the doorway on the other side of where Akane normally sat and Tetsuro stood there. He was gazing at her as if his thoughts were elsewhere. She wondered if he'd been standing there long enough to hear the fight. Akane returned to her seat and the class settled down, although Tetsuro still stood there, zoned out with his eyes on her.

"Tetsuro," she called, "Are you there?"

He blinked before nodding and approaching and Yuri giggled. "I was coming to check on you," he said quietly, sitting in the chair beside her, "But I see you have your own guardian here at school."

Yuri turned to gaze at Naomi who was gazing at the back of Akane's head angrily. "I can't believe she would talk like that," Naomi fumed, "Like she's the one who got hurt here. I have half a mind to throw my book at her head."

Yuri chuckled, "No, Naomi, you'll end up in detention."

"That Tarumi girl is going to experience much worse than just detention," Tetsuro muttered on Yuri's other side and she turned to him. He was radiating a cold, angry aura; if she didn't know him and she felt that, she would be terrified. "She's going to regret even going to this school."

"Scary," Naomi stammered and Yuri laughed. Naomi leaned over the desk, crossing her arms. "So tell me, Kuroo. What are your plans for revenge? How are you going to get revenge on someone you don't know?"

Tetsuro gazed at her for a moment before looking away. "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you."

Naomi shook her head. "At least tell me how you plan on finding the person."

"I've been investigating," he said, thoughtfully touching his chin, "I'll find him soon. I think he doesn't go to Nekoma."

"What do you mean?" Naomi gasped, "How would he know about Yuri if he didn't? How would he know about those pictures?"

Tetsuro shrugged with a sigh. "No one knew about those pictures, that's what's so puzzling. I never told anyone and I know Yuri wouldn't tell anyone stuff like that. That's what I'm going to find out when I tie him up, just before I dissect him for science."

Yuri laughed and Naomi shook her head. "How do you know he doesn't go to Nekoma?"

"Some people have seen a shady guy around the school," he said quietly so no one else could hear, "He doesn't wear the uniform but he's been seen a lot."

"That's scary," Naomi breathed, "Out of all the girls in the school, why Yuri?"

Tetsuro tapped his chin. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. I think maybe it's just because she's pretty and he figured, if she has a boyfriend, there's a chance she has some secrets. I don't know, though."

Yuri could feel her heart racing with fear and discomfort. "But why me? There are a million pretty girls at this school. Why did it have to be me?"

He sighed. "I don't know, Yuri, I wish I did. But I have a feeling…" He lifted his gaze to Akane, who was chatting away with her friends. "I have a feeling someone knows something."

After school, Yuri watched the volleyball practice before walking home with Tetsuro, afraid to walk alone after what they talked about.

On the way home, unexpectedly, they saw Akane walking in the same direction. Akane didn't live this way so she never walked this way, it was strange.

Tetsuro whispered something to Yuri and she nodded, jogging to catch up with Akane and jumping in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Stop!" Yuri called, surprising Akane.

Akane jumped before turning to go the other way only to be stopped by Tetsuro, who towered over her and frightened her more than Yuri.

"What do you two want?" Akane snapped, "If you try to hurt me, I swear I'll get you expelled."

Yuri shook her head. "We're not going to try to hurt you; we're not as low as you are. We just want to talk."

"About what?" Akane stammered.

"First of all," Tetsuro spoke in his stern captain voice that Yuri only ever heard at the volleyball practices, "how did you manage to contact him?"

"Contact who?" Akane stammered again.

"Don't play dumb," he snapped, "The one who took the pictures of Yuri."

Akane looked around as if searching for an escape before sighing with exasperation. "I didn't contact him. He overheard us talking and he offered us a plan for revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Yuri asked, "What have I ever done to you?"

Akane glared at Yuri before turning her glare to Tetsuro, who returned it head on. Yuri wondered how in the world Akane could manage to have a stare-down with him; he could be so scary when he wanted to be. "You're going to regret going for your little revenge scheme," Tetsuro told her, "I already have everything I need to use against you but first I need to take out your insurance; the masked guy will go down and you will too. Threatening with expulsion is funny but once the school finds out you tied up another classmate and let a stranger rip off her clothes for pictures, I'm sure you won't be able to finish school at any school in the prefecture."

Akane took a step back, glaring at him even harder. "We'll see about that. You won't find him. I don't even know who he is or how I can contact him and as long as he's around, he'll always have some ammo against Yuri to take you down for even trying. I'm surprised they're even letting you participate in club activities after what happened. Maybe if the school gets an anonymous tip, they'll have to pick a new captain."

Tetsuro chuckled at her challenge. "We'll see about that, little girl."

Akane turned away, walking in the opposite direction and Yuri gazed at Tetsuro curiously. "Revenge for what, Tetsu?"

He shook his head. "It'll all be out in the open soon."

Yuri gazed at him suspiciously. "Did you sleep with her?"

"No," he quickly answered, "I told you, you're the only one. It's not like that. You'll see. You'll laugh about it."

They began walking again silently for a few moments as Yuri pondered over his words to Akane. "Is that what happened last night?" she asked quietly, "They tied me up and took pictures?" Tetsuro's silence gave her an answer. "Do you think… they put those pictures on the website?"

He sighed. "I don't know. I try to forget that website exists." Yuri clenched her cellphone in her pocket and he eyed her. "Don't even think about looking."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"If they put those pictures up, it's going to make you feel worse," he told her, "I don't understand you, Yuri. You don't know how to react to things and you keep making it worse for yourself. In the end, when all those high walls you surrounded yourself in break down, it's going to crush you mentally and emotionally. I'm worried."

They arrived at her home and Tetsuro took a shower, leaving Yuri alone in her room. She gazed at her phone for a few, long moments, her thoughts bouncing back and forth until she finally picked it up. Maybe she'd regret it but she was too curious. Even knowing what happened didn't bring back her memories. She went to the website, holding her breath and scrolling down. At the top, there were the old pictures that they'd stolen off of Tetsuro's cell phone but scrolling down, there was a big title that said update. She clicked it to see photos of her that seemed foreign. Were they even really her?

The first one was her lying on the floor unconscious with her shirt ripped off and her skirt pulled down to her ankles. The second was her sitting up with her eyes wide, tears falling down her face and her clothes torn. The next couple were similar but the bottom one had her in nothing but her panties and she was already unconscious. Her heart raced with fear and panic. Was this real? Someone really posted these and got off to it? Did people really look at this website with interest? How many people saw this? How many people checked frequently for updates? How many people thought this was a good idea?

Yuri felt as if her heart was going to beat right out of her chest and she began panting, her thoughts spinning. She saw flashes in her mind of a man in an overcoat and a ski mask and she dropped her cellphone, falling to her knees and holding her head in her hands.

"Make it stop," she breathed, feeling out of breath, "Please make it stop."

She suddenly felt as if her head was dunked under water and the air wasn't reaching her lungs. She gasped for air but it just wasn't reaching her. Everything was falling apart. She was sure she was dying; there was no other explanation. She'd never felt so awful before. She sincerely felt on the verge of death to the point where she yearned for it. It was so awful to be surrounded by air yet unable to breath that she wished to feel the release of death. Her vision grew blurry and she wished she could fall unconscious or anything to save her from this. It was hell. She could feel her mind fading. She couldn't remember why she had panicked or where she was or what she was thinking. Was she at home or at school? Perhaps she'd gone to Tetsuro's house?

Just as she was on the verge of unconsciousness, she suddenly felt as if the air was reaching her lungs again and her heavy eyes fluttered open. She found herself gazing up at a panicked Tetsuro and her mother, who seemed surprisingly calm, as she held a paper bag over Yuri's mouth and nose. Yuri inhaled and exhaled normally, gazing up at them until she felt her body relax and she touched her mother's hand to remove the bag. Breathing air normally felt nice.


	11. Chapter 11

"Yuri, did something happen to you?" her mother asked, touching her forehead, "Is something going on?"

Yuri gazed up at her mother for a few long moments, treasuring the air that reached her lungs. "Is it too late for me to transfer schools?"

Both of them gazed at her with complete confusion. "Yuri, you realize you're in your third year, right?" her mother reminded her, "There's not a lot of time left until you graduate."

Tetsuro gazed at her with concern for a long time before lifting his gaze to her mother. "Mom," he said respectfully and slowly, as if he was being careful with his words, "Yuri has been getting bullied at school." She lifted her gaze to him. "I'm trying to fix the situation but… Yuri hasn't been coping well. She either doesn't feel anything or she feels everything at once and falls completely apart."

"What do you mean getting bullied?" Yuri's mother asked, "She's in her third year and she's always had an easy time getting along with everyone. Why would they bully her now?"

Yuri met Tetsuro's gaze and he swallowed hard. She willed him not to tell her everything. "There's been a strange man creeping around the school and no one knows who he is. I don't know why, but he's set his sights on Yuri. He put up a whole website about her and that's the reason why she's getting bullied. Yuri was led out to a place last night with her friend and the man was there. He tied her up and tore off her clothes and took pictures for the website."

Yuri's mother gasped, holding tightly on to Yuri's hand. "A stalker? We need to report this to the police!"

Tetsuro shook his head. "The school has already reported it, since a creepy man has been creeping around the school. I'm sure they know about the website but they think it's just teenagers being reckless. We don't have anything except the pictures he took of her but that isn't enough to find him. I just want to ask you, please… as her mother… can you keep Yuri home for a few days?"

Yuri opened her mouth to object but her mother already nodded. "I would have done it anyway, knowing there's a stalker after her. What are you going to do?"

He took a deep breath. "Don't worry about it. Just know I'll take care of it."

Yuri's mother gazed at him for a moment before looking away. "You can be such a scary boy, you know that?"

Yuri's mother left the room, leaving the two of them alone and Tetsuro lied in bed with her, holding her close. "So I'm just going to be the princess locked away in the castle now?" Yuri mused.

Tetsuro chuckled. "Well, those stories always have an evil dragon and a prince coming to the princess's rescue."

Yuri held on to him tightly. "I just want this all to go away," she murmured, "I miss when we were second-years and our biggest problem was Kozume wishing you'd let him quit volleyball."

Tetsuro chuckled. "The past always seems better than it was. We almost broke up when we were second-years, remember?"

Yuri rolled her eyes. "That's because _you_ told me you're getting tired of all the cat fur and you kept complaining. Momo and I are a package deal."

He laughed. "I know that now." He held her tighter. "You know, I was really scared when I thought you wanted to break up. You kept ignoring my calls and texts and you brushed me off at school."

"That's because every time we talked it was just you endlessly talking about cat fur," Yuri teased, "I would answer the phone, excited to talk about us and love and you're like 'there's cat fur at my house and I don't even have a cat'."

He laughed again. "I was so relieved when you started talking to me again," he murmured, "It felt like I could breathe again."

She clenched a handful of his shirt in her hand, closing her eyes. "Tetsuro… I'm relieved. I thought I was the only one of us who felt like I could breathe when you're close to me or when you kiss me."

He kissed her head. "I know sometimes I'm not straightforward with my feelings but you really mean everything to me, Yuri. It's been so long and there's still so much love between us. Maybe all this bad stuff happened because destiny realized we were too blessed."

Yuri shrugged. "I don't know but thank you for staying with me through this. I can tell it's stressful for you, maybe even more than it is for me, and I can tell you don't really know how to react when I break down."

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, "I just panic when I see you like that because I don't want to end up making things worse."

She shook her head. "You could never. All I need is for you to hold my hand and I'll be okay, even if you have to call my mom for help."

"To be fair," he added, "When I walked in, it really looked like you'd fainted and I thought we should call an ambulance. Your mom was the one who noticed that you were hyperventilating."

Yuri could feel her heart race just at the memory of what happened. "That… was the worst thing I'd ever experienced before in my life. I felt like I was deep underwater. I felt like I was going to die, but it never came. Part of me wished I could die just so I wouldn't have to feel like that anymore. I hope I never have to feel like that again."

He lifted a hand to stroke her hair. "I want you to stay home and rest, Yuri. I promise I'm not trying to hurt you by locking you away but I just want you to take time to heal. It's alright if you spend these few days thinking too much and being in a rut so that when you come back, you'll be twice as strong."

Yuri nodded. "You're right. You always are."

He kissed her head again. "Goodnight, Yuri. I love you."

"I love you too, Tetsuro. Goodnight."


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Tetsuro woke early for a morning practice to prepare for the coming tournament. She stayed in bed until she heard him descending the stairs and she followed him down. He already sat at the counter with Yuri's mother, eating breakfast.

"You know, Yuri's always been like this," her mother sighed, "Ever since she was a kid, no matter what happened she either didn't feel anything or she would completely break down. I think it's because she tries so hard to run away from things that are inside of her and they all end up attacking her at once the second she lets herself feel anything."

Tetsuro nodded. "I just wish I knew why they picked her. I know she's beautiful but that can't be the only reason, can it?"

Her mother sighed again. "I don't know. The world can be a scary place."

Yuri approached Tetsuro from behind, her mother noticing her. "I just want to protect her from this. She doesn't deserve any of it. She is only ever kind to everyone she talks to."

She interrupted him by wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing his cheek. He blushed at the surprise, and because they never did anything in front of her mother. "I love you, Tetsu," she murmured.

"Oh, go get a room, you two," her mother chuckled, turning away.

Yuri laughed and Tetsuro held her hand over his chest. "Were you eavesdropping?" he asked.

Yuri's mother nodded. "She was definitely eavesdropping."

He chuckled and Yuri sat on the stool beside him, although she didn't eat. "You have morning and afternoon practice today?" she asked him and he nodded. "Are you coming over after?"

"Do you want me to?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation, "but if you have something to do, I understand."

He shook his head. "I already told my mom I'd be staying here for a few days, even though I only told her it was because I had a lot of practice and going home was too far."

"Karma will bite you for lying to your mom," Yuri's mother told him.

He chuckled. "I think karma's already getting to us."

Yuri gazed down at her hands. "Tetsuro," she said, seriously, "are you sure you want to handle this on your own? What if you end up in big trouble? You have your tournament coming up too; are you sure you can have so much on your plate, shouldering my problems and your own?"

He sighed. "Yuri… This is my problem too."

She lifted her gaze to him. "Is this about what Akane said to you yesterday?"

He shook his head. "It is, partly, but… I feel responsible for all this. You're getting all the blame when it's all my fault." Yuri's mother, who had no idea what he was referring to, gazed at him curiously and Yuri shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak when he got to his feet. "If I don't leave now, I'll be late."

Yuri walked him to the door. "Tetsu," she murmured, "good luck with practice. I love you."

"I love you too," he answered before waving and opening the door, "I'll see you tonight."

Yuri sighed before climbing the stairs and returning to her bed. Momo curled up at her side. He didn't normally like sleeping next to her when Tetsuro was around, since there was twice as much heat in the bed with two people. She reached on the nightstand and grasped her cell phone before hesitantly picking it up. It felt different. She lifted it up and realized it wasn't her cellphone, but Tetsuro's. Had he forgotten it?

She sat up, gazing around for her own cellphone before dialing the number into his phone when she didn't see it. It rang a few times when a familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

"Tetsuro," Yuri giggled, "why do you have my phone?"

"Obviously so you don't look at that website while you're home alone all day," he answered, "I have it blocked on my cellphone so don't even try it. Other than that, you can do whatever you want with it."

Yuri sat in silence for a moment. "I'm going to text every contact in your phone and tell them how much you love your darling girlfriend, Yuri."

"No, wait-…"

She interrupted by ending the call before he could object. She wasn't actually going to do that but she just wanted to put him on edge while he had her cellphone and she giggled at the thought, lying down again. She browsed the internet on his phone until she felt tired again and fell fast asleep.

Yuri awoke a few hours later, gazing at the ceiling. She could still feel the warmth that was Momo in the curve of her side. She wondered if Tetsuro was in class and she wondered if Naomi was having problems with Akane today. She sat up in her bed, disturbing Momo enough to make him move to the foot of her bed instead, and she lifted her gaze to the time. It was about an hour before school was going to end. She slept in so late, she realized, as she climbed out of bed and washed up in the bathroom.

Yuri descended the stairs to find her mother in the kitchen, putting away groceries.

"Oh, you're finally awake," her mother teased, "Sleeping isn't going to cure your boredom."

"Yes it will," Yuri insisted, taking a seat at the island, "Mom, I want to go to the volleyball practice."

Her mother gazed at her for a moment before returning to the groceries. "I'll drop you off and Tetsuro will walk you back. I don't want you walking around alone if someone is looking for you."

Yuri nodded. "That's fine."

"Are you hungry?" her mother asked, "Do you want a snack before you go?"

Yuri nodded and her mother finished up the groceries before heating up some leftovers. "I wish I knew what Tetsuro has planned," she mused, "I wonder how he plans to handle all this on his own and I wonder why he wants to take responsibility."

"Boys can be like that sometimes," her mother sighed, "When they really love you, they like to take it upon themselves when problems come up."

Yuri put her chin in the palm of her hand, resting her elbow on the countertop. "Was dad ever like that?"

Her mother laughed. "He was the worst with that. Once I had a big fight with my parents when I was in high school and I called him crying. He came over and told my parents that they'd better watch out because he would snatch me up if they mistreated me."

Yuri laughed, shaking her head. "He's so serious now. He must have been quite the wild child back in the day to say something like that."

Her mother nodded. "Everyone mellows out when they get old."

She set the plate in front of Yuri and she ate quickly to give herself time to change before leaving. She threw on her uniform to blend in, walking into school after hours, and was soon on her way out with her mother.

She was dropped off just outside the gym and she entered, going up the stairs and reaching her spot where she normally stood to watch. Practice was just beginning and Tetsuro seemed to be late.

The coach called them up to huddle and he said, "Where's Kuroo?"

They all eyed Kenma, who shrugged. "He was in the club room and he told me he was going to do something so I should go ahead," Kenma told them.

They all seemed confused, but the coach gave them instructions on what to do, leaving Tetsuro out of it and Yuri, puzzled, left the gym and went outside, walking to the club room. She stood outside of it, listening for a moment, but all she heard was silence. She reached for the doorknob and turned it gently but it was locked.

Suddenly, she heard his voice. "Who told you to do this?"

"I-I don't know," another voice stammered. It sounded like a boy but it was unfamiliar.

"Yes, you do," Tetsuro angrily said, "You're going to lose this if you don't tell me."

There was the sound of glass shattering and a gasp. "If you break it, I can't take the website down."

The website? Did Tetsuro already find the person behind it?

"You're going to take it down right now," Tetsuro firmly instructed, "Whether or not you tell me anything, when you leave this room, the website will be down."

"O-okay," the other voice stammered.

There was silence before Tetsuro's voice said, "That's a good boy. What's next? You're going to tell me who told you to do this." There was another long pause before there was a loud bang. "Tell me, damn it. The reason why you don't have any bruises yet is because I'm giving you a chance."

"I really don't know," the boy gasped in fear, "I got a text message. The person who told me to do it sent me an anonymous message and they threatened me. They said if I don't get those pictures they will send all my friends secrets that no one knows. I was scared, okay? I don't care about Masuno's pictures. I did it to save myself."

"Save yourself?" Tetsuro laughed, "I don't know what kind of secrets he threatened you with but I will do so much worse to you."

"The person has been in here before," the boy stammered, "He told me exactly where you put your stuff and he told me which pocket your cellphone would be in. I don't know why he didn't just get those pictures himself. He messaged me again this morning to check if there were new pictures." There was a short silence. "Now I don't know what's going to happen since I went against him."

"Whatever happens won't be worse than what I can do to you," Tetsuro told him, "Remember that next time someone tells you to do something that'll hurt Yuri Masuno. When you mess with her, you mess with me."

Yuri heard a long silence before she decided to return to the gym. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping and she had a feeling they were almost done. When she returned, practice was continuing as usual and not long after, Tetsuro entered, quietly speaking to the coach before jumping into practice.

Her eyes watched him play, curiously. He seemed to be playing normally, as if what happened just now didn't happen. He wasn't letting her in on his progress, but clearly he was making a lot of it.


	13. Chapter 13

After practice ended, Tetsuro and Yuri walked together. "How did you get here?" he asked, "Did you walk alone?"

Yuri shook her head. "My mom drove me," she told him, "Why were you late to practice today?"

He was silent for a moment and she lifted her gaze to him. "I… was on a secret mission."

"Tell me, tell me," she prodded, "We have no secrets, remember? I'm curious."

He sighed. "I don't know, Yuri. I don't want you to worry. I just want you to know it's being swept under the rug as we speak."

Yuri's gaze fell to her feet. "I heard you in the club room talking to someone."

He gazed at her for a moment before looking away, breathing a chuckle. "How much did you hear?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "I heard you telling him to take down the website and you kept asking him to tell you about the masked man." She lifted her gaze to him. "The website is down now?" He nodded. "Who was the boy in the club room?"

He chuckled again. "I have no clue. I saw him sneaking around outside the club room so when all the guys left, I pulled him in and asked him questions."

Yuri smiled. "You're really amazing, you know that?"

He returned her smile. "I feel awful about everything that's happening. I just want to make it right."

Yuri grasped his wrist suddenly. "Tetsu, let's go downtown." He had a puzzled expression on his face. "Let's go have fun and forget about everything else."

He smiled, nodding and letting her lead the way. They boarded the nearby train towards downtown and exited at Harajuku. Tetsuro still seemed extra cautious, gazing around to see if there were any suspicious figures.

"What do you want to do?" she asked, "Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"

"Let's just walk and stop anywhere that looks interesting," he told her.

She giggled. "That's what we always do." They walked quietly for a few moments, although she kept eyeing him. "You don't look like you're having fun."

"We just got here," he chuckled.

"So?" Yuri mused, "I'm already having fun. Our dates are always fun."

He sighed. "I just feel nervous. I don't want anything bad to happen." Yuri gave the brightest smile she could, staring at him until he finally returned it. "That's cheating. You know my weakness."

Yuri giggled. "I just want to see you smile. Relax. There's too many people here for anything bad to happen-…"

She was interrupted by another voice. "Kuroo! Kuroo!"

"Oh no," Tetsuro sighed and the two of them turned to see a boy running towards them in another school uniform, grinning from ear to ear.

"Kuroo, it's funny running into you here," the boy mused as he approached, another boy in a similar uniform approaching.

"Bokuto," Tetsuro greeted, "what are you doing here? Go back and train for the spring tournament."

Kotaro chuckled, shaking his head. "I think you're the one who needs to train, Kuroo. We wiped you out at the last training camp." That seemed to irritate Tetsuro, although Kotaro didn't notice, his gaze wandering to Yuri. "Who's this?"

"I'm Yuri Masuno," Yuri introduced herself.

"Ooh," Kotaro cooed, "Yuri Masuno is a cute name for a cute girl. Is this your girlfriend, Kuroo? No, I doubt it. She's too cute for you."

Yuri giggled although Tetsuro just grew more irritated. "Thank you. I am his girlfriend, though."

Kotaro blushed. "Oh, sorry. How come I've never seen you before? You don't come to the games?"

Yuri lifted her gaze to Tetsuro, shaking her head. "I have an idea," she said, drawing Tetsuro's attention, "Let's all hang out, the four of us. It can be a double date."

"Yeah," Kotaro agreed before pausing, "wait, a double date?"

"I don't know about this," Tetsuro sighed, ignoring Kotaro. Yuri gave him another bright smile, gazing at him until he chuckled. "Okay, fine."

"So cute," Kotaro mused.

They began walking, Yuri turning back to Kotaro. "You know, whenever you want Tetsuro to do something nice for you, all you have to do is give him a smile."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Kotaro gasped.

Tetsuro sighed. "Don't tell him that."

Yuri laughed. "What are your names?"

"I'm Kotaro Bokuto," Kotaro answered.

"Keiji Akaashi," the quiet one said.

"What school do you go to?" she asked.

Kotaro gasped. "Kuroo hasn't told you?"

"Don't start," Tetsuro warned.

"Told me what?" Yuri grinned.

Kotaro eyed Tetsuro. He was trying to get a rise out of him but being too obvious. "He hasn't told you how Fukurodani Academy is the one big wall standing between Nekoma and nationals?"

"Oh," Yuri gasped, "Fukurodani. I've heard of you guys. People say the volleyball team will never go to nationals because of you guys." The praise seemed to send Kotaro through the roof. "I think the spring tournament is going to be different though. I think Nekoma will go to nationals."

"Yeah," Tetsuro agreed, "We'll get our revenge in the tournament."

"You wish," Kotaro teased.

Tetsuro eyed him. "Remember the last practice match? I blocked every spike you made while I was in the front."

That brought Kotaro down from the clouds and Yuri laughed. They walked and talked for a while, Kotaro and Keiji trailed a few steps ahead, talking about something else.

Yuri had a smile on her face, lifting her gaze to Tetsuro. "I think this was a good idea," she mused, "Even though I can tell they annoy you, you seem much more relaxed. They're distracting you."

He smiled, looking away. "I hate when you see right through me."

Yuri giggled as Kotaro turned to them. "Oh, let's go here! This place has the best taiyaki."

Yuri showered that night, returning to her room to see Tetsuro already in her bed, half asleep. She smiled, climbing into bed beside him.

"Were you waiting for me?" she asked.

He nodded. "Now that you're here I can sleep," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her.

He must be exhausted, Yuri thought to herself. She'd dragged him around Tokyo just after practice. Then again, Kotaro and Keiji were in the same boat.

She gazed at him as he already fell fast asleep, his breath becoming even and his face relaxing. He must have been on edge before, thanks to his mind constantly running back to the masked man. Since she knew he blamed himself for what happened to her, he wanted to prevent another incident.

"I love you, Tetsu," she whispered, kissing his nose. He was already fast asleep so he didn't notice. "Tetsu," she said, just a bit louder, "Tetsuro." He tiredly mumbled an incomprehensible response and she giggled. "Tetsuro, let me give you a present before you sleep."

He was already sleeping but she slid a hand down his chest and into his pants. She was thankful that it was dark in her room because she knew she was blushing; she'd never done this before. His eyes quickly opened at her touch. "Yuri," he stammered.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently. "Can I put you to sleep tonight?" He nodded and she moved closer to him, feeling his body react to her touch was enough to get her yearning for him. She pushed him on to his back, climbing on top of him. "What do you feel?"

"I want you," he breathed, and she could see the faint blush on his cheeks through the moonlight filtering in from the window, "I want you, Yuri."

She bit her lip, having to restrain herself at his words. "Do you ever fantasize about me when you're alone?"

He lifted his hands, holding her face in them and kissing her. "All the time." He kissed her again. "Do you ever fantasize about me?"

"Yes," she breathed, "In my head, I imagine all the things I want you to do to me but I get shy in person."

He smiled, kissing her again. "You don't have to be shy." He slipped her hand from his pants, sliding his fingers into the leg of her shorts and he touched inside her, making her moan quietly. "You're already ready."

"It's because of you," she murmured and he pulled her body against his, sliding open her shorts from the bottom and a second later he penetrated her.

She bit her lip, panting into his ear, his arms tight around her waist. This time, she moved her hips, taking control. By his facial expression, she could see that he loved it. She moved slowly, holding on to him tightly. He slid one hand under her shirt, grasping at her tightly.

The heat and passion between them was fueling her. She wanted to make him feel good and she could tell he wanted her to feel good too. She could feel him reaching her deepest parts and it was driving her crazy. She wanted to loudly tell him how she felt but she couldn't risk waking up her parents.

She felt him dig his nails into her back and she licked her lips, kissing him passionately. "I love you," she murmured, "I love you, I love you. I can't get enough of you."

He smiled. "You can keep taking until you're satisfied. I'm only for you."

She moved faster until she felt herself climax and she couldn't bite back the moan, although he put his hand over her mouth fast enough.

"Oh, Yuri," he chuckled.

Her body felt weak from the intensity of her climax and she lied on top of him until she felt him finish. She slid to his side, wrapping her arms around him.

"Aren't you going to clean yourself up?" he asked as she closed her eyes, a smile on her face.

"No," she whispered, "I'm gonna leave it inside me until I wake up."

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her again. "That's disgusting."

"You're the one who put it there," she giggled.

He kissed her head. "Goodnight, Yuri. I love you."

"Goodnight, Tetsu. I love you too."

He seemed to fall asleep the second he closed his eyes and Yuri closed hers too. She felt so safe in his arms. He was the most beautiful person in the world, inside and out. She wished she could read his mind and see into his heart. He closed it off so well so she never knew when he was really suffering or if he was struggling at all. She knew he'd never tell her if her situation was too much for him.


	14. Chapter 14

Yuri awoke with a start, sitting up to see that she was alone in her bed. She turned to the clock to see that it was already noon. Tetsuro must have slipped out without waking her somehow. Perhaps she was more exhausted than she'd felt the night before. She climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom tiredly. It was around lunch time.

Yuri was certain he was spending his lunch with his volleyball friends but she wished she was with him on the rooftop again, hugging and talking about their feelings. She loved it when he opened up to her about his feelings because she knew no one else in the world knew those things about him. He was a very private person when it came to personal things.

She found her own cell phone on her nightstand this time, since Tetsuro had managed to get the site taken down. Opening it, she found a few messages from an unknown number. Curiously, she opened it.

_'Tetsuro Kuroo. Third-year, class five, Metropolitan Nekoma High. Captain of the volleyball team and boyfriend of Yuri Masuno. I know you're reading this, Kuroo. You have Yuri's cellphone. I just wanted to make sure you know that Yuri Masuno will become mine, whether either of you want it or not. Signed, your girlfriend's secret admirer. PS: you can find the new link to the website here…'_

Yuri felt her heart race in her chest, her hands holding her cellphone trembling. Who was this creep? Why was he so obsessed with Yuri? How did he already know so much about both of them? What was he planning on doing? Yuri's thoughts spun with questions and she blacked out.

When Yuri came to, she found herself standing in the gym at school in the spot she always stood to watch. Of course, it was empty since classes were still going on. She gazed at the empty court. It seemed lonely in here without the volleyball team.

She gazed down at herself to see that she was still in her pajamas. Her cellphone was missing. She had no idea how she ended up here or how she would get back; Tetsuro was in class now and she couldn't call her mother without her cellphone. She sat on one of the bleachers, gazing off into the distance when she heard the gym doors open below her. Staring down, she saw a couple of the boys volleyball players enter; they probably just wanted some extra practice through their lunch for the upcoming tournament.

"Hey," one of them said, "Masuno, is that you up there? What, do you live there?"

Yuri got to her feet, approaching the railing. "Can you do me a favor and call Tetsuro here for me? Also if you tell a soul you saw me in my pajamas, you'll wake up the morning of the tournament with mysteriously sprained ankles."

He jumped. "Y-yes, Misses Captain," he stammered before hurrying off.

Tetsuro entered not long after from the stairs beside her. "What's wrong, Yuri?" he asked, "Did something happen? What are you doing here? Why are you in your pajamas?"

She gazed at him, suddenly feeling afraid of what he might say if she told him the truth. She was sure he already thought she was breaking. "Tetsuro, I…" He gazed at her expectantly and she looked away. "I lost my phone."

He sat down on the bleacher behind her and she turned, sitting beside him. "You're a terrible liar."

She gazed at her feet. "It's not a lie, though."

"Tell me what's wrong," he insisted.

"I'm worried that you're going to think I'm crazy," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze, "I can tell you already think I'm snapping."

He took her hand. "Yuri, you've been crazy since I met you," he teased.

Yuri giggled, feeling instantly better. "I got a text message on my phone and, well… I had an 'episode', I guess. Long story short, I really don't remember how I got here."

"A text message?" he asked.

Yuri quickly shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

He took his cellphone from his pocket and handed it to her. "Call your mom," he told her before leaning forward and kissing her head, "You're safe, Yuri. I'm here. I'll take care of everything."

"But I don't want you to feel stressed," she told him, "I know you need to be strong for your team, especially now that the tournament is coming up and you need to focus on practicing and getting better."

He smiled. "Thank you for worrying but I can handle it, Yuri."

Yuri still felt unsure but she dialed her mother's number, asking for a ride home and telling her she'd explain later. When she ended the call and returned Tetsuro's phone, he took her hand again.

"Go home and eat something and watch movies until you forget," he said, "You'll be okay, Yuri. I'll be over right after practice."

Yuri nodded slowly. "Thank you, Tetsuro."

He tucked her under his arm, pulling her close. "Don't be afraid to talk to me," he murmured, "You know I've never turned my back on you and I don't plan on it."

She closed her eyes, leaning on to him. "I know, Tetsu. I love you."

"I love you too."

They sat for a few moments and Yuri could feel her anxieties fading in his presence. He healed her, like always. She felt guilty for doubting him.

"You're mom's probably outside by now," he broke the silence.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn't want to leave his side, although she knew she had to; even if her mother took all day to pick her up, he still had to go to class.

He chuckled, putting his hand on her head. "I'll be right home after practice, Yuri. I promise."

She nodded. "Thank you for everything."

He kissed her head. "Don't worry about it."

He walked her outside the gym, where her mother was waiting for her in the car. "I'll see you later," Yuri told Tetsuro and he nodded, giving her a wave.

She climbed into the car with her mother, who was eyeing her. "Did something happen, Yuri?" she asked as she began driving.

Yuri leaned her head against the window. "Not really."

She could feel her mom watching her the whole way home although Yuri was too afraid to meet her gaze. When they arrived, she was relieved to hurry back up to her room and she climbed right back into bed, on the opposite side where Tetsuro slept. It smelled like him. She closed her eyes and pictured the stuff they did the night before, instantly blushing at the thought and she giggled, her eyes fluttering open. She noticed something on the floor on the other side of her room.

Curiously, Yuri got to her feet and approached until she made out the shape of her phone, lying on the floor face down. She knelt down and lifted it up to see that the glass screen was shattered, completely destroyed. Her heart raced; had she done this when she blacked out? It was the most likely thing to have occurred. She took a deep breath and lifted it up, setting it on her nightstand. It was too destroyed to touch; if she did, she might cut her finger.

She decided to change into normal clothes before returning downstairs and having a brunch with her mother, who was already preparing food. Yuri slid into a seat at the counter.

"You're really not going to tell me how you ended up at the school in your pajamas?" her mother asked.

Yuri shrugged. "I had to pee."

Her mother eyed her. "There's a bathroom attached to your room so you decided to go use the one at school?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know there was a rule against choosing which bathroom I use."

"Actually, there are rules against going on to school grounds when you're not a student," her mother mused.

"I am a student though," Yuri pointed out.

"If I were a teacher and I saw a little girl like you walking around in your pajamas, all wide-eyed and confused, I would probably kick you," her mother teased.

Yuri giggled. "I didn't get kicked or yelled at so I think I'm good."

Her mother set food for the both of them, sitting beside her. "I'm really happy you have Tetsuro," she spoke, "I don't know if you'd be going through this situation if he weren't in the picture but I know things would be much worse if you didn't have him there to cushion the blow."

Yuri nodded as they both began to eat. "I can't imagine what it'd be like without him but sometimes I wonder if this is all overwhelming him."

Her mother sighed. "Don't stress unnecessarily," she remarked, "He's strong, I know it. Let yourself depend on him if it helps you. Maybe I sound biased because I'm your mother and I'll always love you more than anyone else but I care about him too. It's okay to let yourself be weak every once in a while if you come back even stronger."

Yuri smiled at her words. "He said something like that too."

"See? He's tough and he's smart. He can take care of it."

Yuri ate in silence for a few moments as her mother's words set in. She would feel guilty in the end if it was too much for him. Though, knowing him, she'd probably never find out if it was.

She finished her plate just in time for her mother to pick it up. "I need to go drop off your father's lunch," she told Yuri as she cleaned off the dishes, "I'll be home soon. Don't wander off alone again, okay? Do you want anything while I'm out?" Yuri shook her head and her mother nodded once. "Alright. I'll see you soon." She was out the door in a minute, leaving Yuri alone again.

Yuri gazed at the wall, setting her chin in the palm of her hand. Sitting around without her cellphone was incredibly boring. She made her way to the living room, plopping down on the couch and turning the television on to some movie.

Some time passed as she watched when she heard the door lock click. "Mom?" she called, wondering if her mother had forgotten something or if she'd forgotten to lock the door, perhaps. When she heard no answer, she sat up, curiously, when suddenly she felt someone put a hand over her mouth. She inhaled sharply and realized that there was a damp rag between the person's hand and her mouth. They tied the rag around her head before pushing her on to her face, holding her hands behind her back.

She struggled for what felt like hours, but was surely minutes, until she finally fell unconscious.


	15. Chapter 15

Yuri's body felt heavy and her head was pounding. The rag was removed from her mouth but she found herself having trouble moving and she felt nauseous, like she had the flu. She forced herself to open her eyes and found herself in somewhere very dark although the light of someone's cell phone illuminated a masked face.

"Where am I?" she attempted to say but her voice was raspy, like she was losing it.

The masked man simply laughed before setting down his cell phone and leaning over her face. "You're mine now, Yuri. You're safe here. I can protect you better than that loser boyfriend of yours."

Although it took a long time for his words to set in, just the sound of his voice terrified her. She didn't recognize it but it was deep and sounded like a middle-aged man. She opened her mouth to scream and he laughed.

"Scream all you want, Yuri," he told her, "There's no one here to save you. You're mine now."

She felt tears fall down her cheeks and she gazed up where the ceiling would be if she could see anything at all, wishing for Tetsuro to burst in and come to her rescue, like the fairy tale they talked about the other night. The princess waited trapped in the dragon's castle anyway.

She could feel her heart racing and she wanted to consider an escape but her head was pounding too hard to think. Suddenly, he took her hand and traced her skin from her finger up her forearm.

"You're so soft, my beautiful Yuri," he breathed, "You're just as soft as you look."

Yuri snatched her arm away from him and the next thing she knew, she was gazing in the opposite direction and she had a sting on her cheek.

"This is how you treat me after everything I did for you?" he angrily exclaimed, "You were letting that jerk defile you and I rescued you. You're safe here and you don't have to think about that anymore."

Yuri broke into sobs, turning away from him. Of course this guy was insane.

"What's wrong, my dear Yuri?" He put his hand on her shoulder. "Did I hit you too hard? I'm sorry. Next time, don't upset me and we'll be okay."

If she could see, perhaps she could run to an escape, but that seemed to be out of the question. Her eyes just couldn't adjust to the darkness and her head was still throbbing.

"I've been watching you, Yuri," he explained, "I just happened to meet you when you were a first-year. After that, I did some research and found everything about you but it wasn't enough. I learned all this cool stuff online and I hacked into your cellphone so I could see all your conversations and everything you looked at online. I watched you every day when you walked to school or home. I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. Your kind of beauty and innocence is meant to be observed but never touched. I will kill that guy for not knowing how to bring out your inner beauty instead of destroying it. I will do anything I can to get him out of the picture, even if it really means killing him."

Yuri could feel her heart pounding throughout her whole body. "I'll do anything you ask me," she insisted, "Just leave Tetsuro out of it."

He laughed. "You don't have to defend him, Yuri. I'm sure you're desperate to get rid of him too. Just cut him off. I know you're too innocent to let blood shed over you. Don't talk to him anymore and break his heart to pieces and I won't hurt him."

Yuri gazed off into the darkness, continuing to sob.

"Go back to sleep, Yuri," he quietly said and she felt him put the damp rag over her mouth again, "You're just tired."

She simply closed her eyes without struggling, giving in as her body slowly lost consciousness. She'd rather be dead than be here.

Yuri awoke later to find herself in the janitor's closet, on the floor. Her mind felt incredibly groggy and she had an intense migraine. Her whole body felt sore. Her body suddenly hunched over and she couldn't hold in the vomit. She felt as if she was vomiting up acid, her throat and nose burning as it came up. When it was finally over, she relaxed a bit feeling somehow better afterwards.

In the distance, she could hear a familiar voice call, "Yuri! Are you here? Can you hear me?"

"I'm here, Tetsu," she attempted to call but her voice was fading and cracking.

There was a long silence before the door opened and Tetsuro stood over her, gazing at her in horror before he dropped to his knees, lifting her head on to his lap. She recalled what the masked man had said to her before. Right now, she was too weak; she couldn't bring herself to push Tetsuro away just yet.

"What happened to you?" he breathed, his voice shaking with fear, "You look awful. We've been looking all over the city for you."

Yuri's body was trembling as if she was cold, but she didn't feel cold. "Please take me home, Tetsuro," she managed to whisper.

He slipped a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the vomit from her mouth and cheeks before lifting her up in his arms like a child. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest and she closed her eyes, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. How could she do it? How could she bring herself to hurt Tetsuro? He was never anything but good to her and he was wearing himself thin to protect her.

She couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for him to find her that way. She knew if the roles were reversed, she wouldn't have been able to handle seeing him like that and she certainly wouldn't have been able to remain as calm as he was forcing himself to be. She could feel that he was incredibly anxious inside but he was trying to hide it from her.

He walked outside with her in his arms and she realized it was dark already. How long had she been unconscious?

If she didn't break Tetsuro's heart now, he would be killed, she realized. Just the thought doubled the pain she felt. She wanted to thank him now and tell him how much she loved him but what if the masked man was watching her now?

She couldn't say or do anything. He might have a weapon.

She clenched a handful of Tetsuro's shirt, squeezing her eyes closed. She couldn't look at him.

They walked in silence and when they finally arrived at her house, he opened the door when her mother called, "Tetsuro! I couldn't find her anywhere-…" she stopped midsentence when she saw Yuri in Tetsuro's arms. "Oh, Yuri," she gasped, rushing over and holding her face, "What happened to you? I'm so sorry, Yuri. I'm so sorry I left you alone."

Yuri looked away. She didn't want this. Tetsuro and her mother both blamed themselves, she was certain. In reality, it was Yuri's own fault.

"I want to go to sleep," she mumbled.

"Go to sleep, baby," her mother said quietly, kissing her forehead. "Try to relax. I'm sorry."

Yuri didn't respond and Tetsuro carried her up to her room, tucking her into bed. "I'm sorry, Yuri," he murmured and she looked away from him.

"I wish everyone would stop apologizing," she muttered. He stayed quiet and she squeezed her eyes closed. "I think you should go home, Tetsuro."

There was a long pause. "Why?"

She turned away from him. "It's for the best if you leave. You shouldn't talk to me anymore."

"Why would you say that?" he gasped.

She tightly held on to the blanket. "I don't need you anymore, Tetsuro. Thank you for taking me home but you should go home and focus on yourself. I'm fine on my own."

"What happened to you?" he argued, "Just earlier today you told me you love me. I don't think you mean what you're saying."

"I do mean it," she said firmly, "I want you to go home. Leave me alone."

She kept her eyes squeezed shut. "I don't know what happened to you today," he calmly said, "but I know you don't mean what you're saying. I'll leave you alone for now but I'm not giving up on you, Yuri. And I'm not gonna let this guy get away with whatever he did to you."

"Just go," she told him, "I don't want to hear your voice. Please go."

She listened as he got to his feet and she heard the door open. "I love you, Yuri," he murmured before he walked out.

She could hear him descending the stairs and shortly after, the front door closed. She broke down, sobbing into her blanket. She couldn't believe she'd said that to him. He always tried hard to make her happy and give her what she wanted. He just wanted to make her feel safe again and she said those horrible things to him. She hated this. She hated the masked man for making her do this but at least with Tetsuro out of the picture, she knew he'd be safe and she knew he wouldn't get in trouble. She prayed he would drop it and focus on the tournament.

Her whole body was in pain and she'd never felt so heartbroken before in her life. Over the course of the last two years, Tetsuro had become a part of her. He was in every part of her and she felt as if her body was torn in two. She didn't want this. She wished he could be with her to hold her and kiss her head and tell her everything would be okay and he could cushion the pain.

She cried and cried until she felt numb and she managed to fall asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Yuri's eyes opened to see sunlight filtering through the window. Physically, she felt better; whatever the masked man had done to knock her unconscious seemed to work like poison. But she felt as if she hadn't slept at all, even though she did. She had woken various times through the night, although Momo comforted her. She felt completely numb inside. She didn't want to feel or think at all but she didn't want to get out of bed.

She stared at the clock until she decided she needed a distraction and forced herself out of bed. She washed up and changed into her school uniform, descending the stairs.

"What are you doing?" her mother's voice stopped her as she slipped on her shoes, "You're not going to school today."

"I am," Yuri told her, "I'm running late. I don't have time to eat."

Her mother shook her head. "Go back upstairs, Yuri."

"I'll be fine now, mom," Yuri reassured, "I fixed the problem. I'll be okay."

Her mother gazed at her with uncertainty. "If something happens to you, I don't know what I would do with myself, Yuri."

Yuri met her gaze for a moment before turning away. "I'll be fine."

She didn't say goodbye before walking out. If she weren't there, her mother would have no reason to stress. Both of her parents could sleep easy without worrying about what might happen.

If she weren't there, Naomi and Tetsuro wouldn't have to stress either or go seeking revenge. They wouldn't have to get hurt.

She pictured Tetsuro while he played volleyball, the face she'd seen him make so many times before because he loved it so much. If she weren't around, that would be all he needed through the day. He could wake up in the morning and go to school feeling safe and confident and he could go to practice after, where he could relieve any stress he had, and then go home and rest. Perhaps if she weren't around, he'd have found another girlfriend who would be much better for him.

She had to fight back tears, the more she pondered the idea that everyone would be better off if she weren't around. She'd never asked to be born. She'd never asked to live a life.

Finally, the school came into view and she entered, too lost in her mind to hear or care about what anyone else might be saying. Would things be different if she'd stayed at Shiratorizawa? Her parents certainly wouldn't have minded her staying behind. She never would've had to encounter the masked man and she could've stayed with the volleyball boys she'd known so well in junior high, along with all her friends that she'd grown up with. If she had stayed behind, she'd never have poisoned Tetsuro.

She was so lost in her thoughts that when she finally took in her surroundings, she realized she was already in her seat with her notebook on her desk. That was strange; she couldn't recall doing that. Perhaps she was tired from not sleeping well before.

"Yuri," Naomi broke into her thoughts, "are you okay? You look exhausted."

Yuri met Naomi's gaze. Would Naomi be happier without Yuri around? She was convinced that she would be. Yuri hadn't even heard her approach but she could tell by Naomi's change of expression that Akane was standing in front of Yuri. She turned to face her.

"So," Akane grinned, "I heard you and Kuroo broke up."

Yuri gazed up at Akane with a furrowed brow. "Where did you hear that?"

She laughed. "Everyone knows. It's on your fan site."

Yuri averted her gaze. "It's true."

Naomi gasped and Akane laughed again. "So he finally got sick of you trying to get him kicked off the team, huh?"

"No, I broke up with him," Yuri admitted, "You can have him if that's what you want, Akane. I doubt he'd ever go for trash like you after he had me but I guess it doesn't hurt to try."

Akane gazed at Yuri as if she'd slapped her. It was the first time Yuri ever insulted her but Yuri was simply too tired to be the good guy.

"Hey," Akane angrily said, "don't talk to me like that."

"What goes around comes around," Yuri reminded her, "And I hope the devil has you for dinner, Akane. You don't deserve to be happy."

Akane was fuming but the teacher entered before she could snap back.

"Go ahead, Akane," Yuri encouraged, "Go back to your little evil snake club. I hope you do ask Tetsuro out so that he can shut you down and break your cold heart into a million pieces that you're never able to pick up again."

"Everyone take your seats," the teacher said, not having heard the scuffle in the back of the room, and Akane gave Yuri one last glare before returning to her seat.

"That was amazing," Naomi whispered to Yuri, "She deserved every word of that. She would still deserve it if I threw my book at her head though." Yuri shrugged and Naomi continued, "But you broke up with Kuroo?"

"Quiet in the back," the teacher called and both girls turned their attention to the front of the room.

After school, Yuri stepped out of the classroom, hesitantly turning to leave the school. She was so used to going to watch the volleyball team, especially when she felt so horrible. She didn't think she could bring herself to face Tetsuro.

She lifted her gaze and it was drawn to him. He was walking ahead of her in the same direction and she wondered where he was going. Did he know she'd gone to school today? She slowed her pace a bit so she wouldn't have to pass him and he wouldn't see her. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him, though. There was something magical about the way he moved and the way he walked, something that kept tugging at her heart. She wanted nothing more than to run to him and let him fold her into his arms and hold her tight and she wanted to tell him that she loved him too and she never wanted to leave his side again. She wanted to tell him what she wanted their room together to look like in the future and she wanted to tell him how many kids she wanted to have and they could throw names back and forth like they did before.

She didn't want to lose him.

Suddenly, he looked back and caught her gaze. She noticed his pace slowed a bit and he gave her a smile before turning forward again and continuing on. He really was strong. If the roles were reversed she wouldn't have been able to maintain composure. Yet, he gracefully gave her a smile and continued on like he knew how badly she wanted to run back to him. He probably did know. He always just knew.

He disappeared at the stairs and she realized he was probably on his way to the club room. She felt an emptiness without him nearby.

"Yuri!" a voice called behind her and she turned to see Naomi rushing to catch up with her. She stopped and waited for her until she caught up. "Yuri, I want to go to your house."

Yuri gazed at her for a moment. "Alright," she answered. At least if Naomi was around, she'd get a distraction.

"What happened?" Naomi asked as they began walking, "You seem different today. Did something happen with Kuroo?"

Yuri shook her head. "I just… don't feel the same way anymore."

There was a long silence. "I feel like you're lying," Naomi mused, "but if you don't want to talk about it, I won't push you. Did you know that the school blocked that website? It can't be accessed on school grounds. They did it because Kuroo saw someone on it in the hall the other day and he took the phone and threw it in the dirtiest garbage can he could find." She laughed at the thought. "Whoever it was deserved it, though."

Yuri's gaze fell to the floor. If she said she didn't want to talk about Tetsuro, it would prove that she was lying about her feelings changing.

"Hey," Naomi added, "Let's go to Harajuku! We can have some fun and get your mind off things."

Yuri smiled, recalling the last time she'd gone there and she and Tetsuro ran into the guys from Fukurodani. "No, thanks," she quietly said, "I don't think I'm feeling up for that."

Naomi sighed, tucking Yuri under her arm comfortingly. "What are you up for, then?"

Yuri gazed off into the distance thoughtfully when Naomi's cell phone beeped and she pulled it from her pocket. She had a text message that she opened to find it was from unknown. Just that was enough to get Yuri's heart racing.

_'You did well, Yuri. Now that the jerk is out of the picture, I can have you all to myself. I'll see you soon…'_

There was a long silence as the both of them stopped dead in their tracks. "Yuri…" Naomi breathed, "what is this?"

Yuri took Naomi's wrist and bolted as fast as she could home. He was watching them. That's the only way he could've known that they were together. They hurried inside and Yuri made sure to lock the door. Once she slipped off her shoes, she walked around the house and closed all the shades and curtains, making sure the windows were locked too.

Then, she turned to Naomi. "It's the masked man."

Naomi panted, catching her breath before meeting Yuri's gaze. "Was he talking about Kuroo? He's going to see you soon? What?"

Yuri felt tears well in her eyes and she couldn't stop them before they fell down her cheeks. "He… he told me if I don't break up with Tetsuro, he will kill him." Naomi gasped before throwing her arms around Yuri tightly. "He kidnapped me from my house last night. My mom forgot to lock the door when she left and he came right inside and took me to the school. I don't even know if he did anything to me while I was unconscious. He's insane, Naomi. He's really crazy and he thinks he's in love with me."

Naomi held Yuri tightly. "Of course he's crazy. A sane person wouldn't do those things." She was silent for a few moments before quietly asking, "Does… Kuroo know about this?"

Yuri quickly shook her head. "No! Don't tell him about this."

"But maybe he can help," Naomi insisted as Yuri pulled away.

"No," Yuri firmly repeated, "If he finds out, he's going to keep trying to come back. I don't want him to get hurt over this." Naomi opened her mouth to object and Yuri put her hand up. "No, Naomi. If you tell him, I will never talk to you again. I need him to be safe."

"Even if it means sacrificing yourself?" Naomi hesitantly asked.

Yuri nodded. "Yes. I won't be killed, I know it. This guy might be crazy and a creep but as long as I do what he wants me to do, he won't hurt me."

Naomi gazed at Yuri with a deeply concerned expression. "Yuri, that's awful."

Yuri looked away. "Don't you think I know that? But if I don't listen to him, who knows what he'll do?"

Yuri's heart raced when she heard the front door unlock and almost cried of relief when she saw her mother poke her head in.

"Oh, Yuri, you're home," she said as she approached, "Sorry I'm late. Are you hungry?"

Yuri met Naomi's gaze, willing her to keep quiet, before nodding to her mother.


	17. Chapter 17

A few days passed and Yuri avoided seeing Tetsuro at school. Akane didn't try talking to her again and the masked man hadn't made an appearance, much to Yuri's content.

However, as she left school, she found a note in her shoe locker that read, _'Today'_. It didn't have any other words on it. She couldn't help but feel as if it was something bad; nothing really good had happened recently anyway.

She tossed the note in the garbage, beginning her trek to school. She wondered how the volleyball team was doing. The preliminaries were coming up and in the inter-high tournament, Nekoma had been eliminated in the preliminaries. She hoped things were different this time around; last time she'd seen them practice, they were improving so much.

Yuri walked home and arrived in one piece, despite the note and she entered, greeting her mother and going up to her bedroom to start her homework. She opened her bag and took out her books, reaching into the drawer of her desk to look for her music player when she saw the box for the bracelet that Tetsuro had given her on their anniversary.

She took it in her hand slowly and opened it. Her heart raced just at the sight of it, giving her a rush; she hadn't worn it since that night when he put it on her wrist. She was afraid it'd get stolen or she'd drop it like a klutz.

She sighed, putting away before pushing her windows open to give her fresh air. She didn't want to think about Tetsuro. She was tired of crying and tired of waiting around to see what would happen. Part of her wished that she could just fade away and disappear. She wouldn't have to hurt anyone and she wouldn't have to suffer so much every day.

Every day was more and more difficult. Every day she hated getting up in the morning and every day she hated going to school. Focusing in class was incredibly difficult, and now she always had to see Tetsuro in the halls at some point through the day, which was painful. She wondered why she still went to school but she concluded that the only good part of her day was when Tetsuro smiled at her. He did it every time they locked gazes, although she didn't smile back or respond at all. If she gave him any hope that they still had a chance, he might try to come back.

Although she didn't want him to come back out of fear, she couldn't imagine if he would let her go and she would have to go through her days without seeing his smile. She could already feel herself dying on the inside without having him around. He always healed her, no matter what misfortunes she would come across and having to go through her days without him there to cheer her up or to hold her and kiss her or even just to talk to her. She missed the sound of his voice. She missed his callous hands that hardened through his years of playing volleyball. She missed him.

Without him around to give her heart relief, all the bad things stacked up, especially with the stalker still around to throw her anxiety through the roof. She was afraid to turn to anyone else; she even did her best to keep Naomi out of the loop. She didn't talk to anyone else about it.

Suddenly, a rolled up piece of paper flew in from the window. She gazed at it in silence for a moment, wondering what it was. As she reached to pick it up, she found herself wishing with all her heart that it was from Tetsuro, but part of her already knew it wouldn't be from him. He was the type to wait for her to come to him.

Yuri unraveled the paper to see a message written in black marker. _'Come outside. – Your secret admirer'_, it read and just holding it in her hands sent Yuri's heart racing. She quickly through it back outside, returning to her desk and attempting to focus on her homework, but she couldn't. She just kept picturing the masked man standing outside of Yuri's home.

"Yuri," her mother called, "come downstairs. Your friend is calling."

Yuri couldn't seem to relax her anxiety. A friend? It couldn't be him, could it? She got to her feet and slowly descended the stairs, poking her head out. "What friend?"

"It's Naomi," she said and Yuri heaved a sigh of relief, taking the phone and returning up to her room.

She pressed the phone to her ear. "Naomi, I'm so glad to-…" she stopped speaking when she heard his voice laughing.

"Your mother is so gullible," the masked man laughed, "All I did was play her a little recording I made of Naomi's voice. So funny."

Yuri struggled to keep her breathing steady, afraid of hyperventilating again. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"You know what I want," his voice suddenly grew deep like he was angry, "I told you to come downstairs and you didn't listen. This is your last warning, Yuri. I have a knife and if you don't come down, I'll kill your mom."

Yuri forgot about keeping her breathing steady at that, poking her head out the window to see the masked man gazing up at her, with a knife indeed in his hand.

She couldn't help but scream, dropping the phone on to her bed. Then she blacked out.


	18. Chapter 18

Yuri wasn't sure how long she was unconscious but she felt strange. It was very cold and she was lying down but it didn't feel like her bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted until she could adjust to the brightness of the room. Gazing around, she found herself in a hospital.

A million things flew through her mind. What had happened? Had her mother been hurt? That couldn't be right, since Yuri was the one in the hospital bed. Had the masked man hurt her? She couldn't recall anything. She wasn't even sure what day it was.

Yuri's mother walked in, holding a coffee and a snack that came from a vending machine and, upon noticing Yuri awake, she rushed over, setting her things down on the chair and holding Yuri's face in her hands.

"Yuri," she murmured, her voice shaky, "Oh, my Yuri. How do you feel? What happened?"

Yuri gazed up at her mother with a furrowed brow. "Mom… I can't remember anything."

Tears welled in her mother's eyes. "You don't… know what happened?" Yuri shook her head and for the first time since Yuri could remember, her mother broke into sobs and buried her face into the blanket over Yuri's stomach. "Yuri… My baby Yuri… I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I failed you as a mother."

Yuri put her hand over her mother's head. "What are you talking about?"

Her mother finally lifted her head and touched Yuri's arm that was still on the bed. She realized it was wrapped tightly.

"What happened?" Yuri asked as she lifted her arm to gaze at it. It felt heavy and there were traces of blood on the wrapping.

"You… cut yourself," her mother said slowly and Yuri gazed up at her in disbelief, "You… cut really deep. You tried to kill yourself."

Yuri's heart raced with fear. She couldn't recall doing that. It wasn't completely absurd, though; her thoughts recently have been on the side of depression and she often wished she could disappear.

Her mother took Yuri's hand. "When I found you, you had been bleeding for a while and you bled so much. The blood hadn't stopped and I don't know when it happened. You lost a lot of blood."

Yuri gazed at her arm in silence. She really did that. In a sense, it was quick thinking on her part. She'd managed to save her mom and she'd much rather be in a hospital than with the masked man.

Her mother suddenly pulled away and dug into her bag for her cell phone. "I almost forgot. I told your father and Tetsuro that I'd call them when you woke up."

Yuri gazed at her mother in horror. "You… told Tetsuro?"

"Of course," her mother answered, "I don't know what's going on between you two right now but I know he still loves you. He's been calling me almost every day since you broke up and asking if anything happened."

Yuri shook her head quickly. "No, mom! Don't talk to him anymore. I need him to forget about me."

Her mother sighed. "I doubt that'll happen any time soon. And anyway, even if I ignored his calls, I have no doubt in my mind he will come to the house and pick the locks. He loves you, Yuri. He was really heartbroken when I told him what happened."

Yuri's gaze dropped to her lap as her mother stepped outside.

She only returned a few minutes later to retrieve her food before taking them out; she was probably going out to see Yuri's father.

There was about half an hour of silence. Yuri gazed at her bandaged arm, wishing she could even recall fragments of what happened. She wished she could even recall what was running through her mind at that moment. Had it really been quick thinking or did Yuri really feel desperate enough to escape her situation that she thought dying would really be the best option?

Suddenly, the door opened, interrupting Yuri's thoughts and Tetsuro stood there, gazing at her wide-eyed.

"Yuri," he murmured, taking a couple steps towards her, "Yuri…" Suddenly his expression grew angry and he snapped, "What the hell were you thinking?" Yuri gazed at him with surprise. He'd never gotten angry at her before; annoyed, yes, but angry, no. "If you need time alone, if you need time to think, or even if you're just sick of me, then you can let me go but don't you dare tell me to leave you alone if you're gonna do something like this because you don't have anyone there for you." He approached and put both his hands on either side of her, leaning over her. "Yuri, even if you don't love me anymore, you can still talk to me. How can you not know that? I've spent the past two years trying to drill that into your head but you still don't understand. I don't even know what I'd do if I really lost you like this." Suddenly, tears welled in his eyes and he buried his face into her stomach. "You can't leave me like this, Yuri," his voice was softer now, and shaky through his tears, "I feel so lonely without you. Please don't let me go."

Yuri sat up and pulled him into a firm hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and he held her by her waist just as tightly. She felt like she could breathe again. Her heart suddenly felt whole.

"I can breathe," she murmured before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

"Me too," he answered and she squeezed her eyes closed.

How could she have managed to hurt him? How could she do that to him? She didn't want to be without him. He was everything and he loved her so much. The planets aligned for them to meet. There were infinite stars in the night sky yet there was no being in existence that was as lucky as she was and she dared to push him away. She dared to defy fate. She would rather end the masked man with her own two hands than be without Tetsuro for another night. She couldn't bear it. She needed him.

"I love you so much, Tetsuro," she breathed, "I'll never let you go again. We'll be together forever. One day, we'll have a house together and we'll get married and we'll have kids. We can endure any hardship, any pain and suffering; we can endure anything at all as long as we're together. As long as I have you, I can stop the world. I'm so in love. I'm so in love with you, Tetsuro."

He grasped two handfuls of her hospital gown, his face buried into her shoulder. "You don't… know how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I knew your feelings didn't change. I could feel it in my heart. I wondered if it was just wishful thinking but I trusted you and I'm so glad I didn't lose hope."

She smiled her first genuine smile in days. She hated the masked man for driving the two of them apart. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice soft, "I'm so sorry I hurt you. I was hurting too and I wanted nothing more than to run to you."

There was a long silence as they held each other. Yuri was fine even if they didn't talk. They were holding each other so tightly she could feel his heart beating and it was pounding. She could feel it telling her how it felt without words. She loved him. What would the world be without him? The world was such an ugly place but when he was next to her, all she could see was beauty.

"Why didn't you?" he broke the silence, "Why didn't you come to me?"

Yuri could feel her body begin to tremble and the wound on her arm stung from how tightly she held him. "I was… scared. I didn't know what else to do. The masked man… told me… He told me if I didn't break up with you, he would kill you."

There was another short silence before he chuckled. "That's not gonna happen, Yuri."

"I'm scared of him," she admitted, "He always knows where I am and what I'm doing. He hacked my cell phone so he has all of my contacts. He's texted Naomi before and he called my house phone. He was standing outside with a knife and he said he'd kill my mom if I didn't come outside. I blacked out after that and I woke up here."

"Your mom told me," he said, "She said she heard a scream and she went to check on you but you told her you were fine and you pushed her away. She went back up to check on you a couple hours later when she called you for dinner and you didn't answer and she found you unconscious and covered in blood."

"I wish I could remember," she mumbled.

He broke the hug to gaze at her face, lifting a hand and brushing her hair out the way. He held her face in the palm of his hand. "Never suffer to protect me, Yuri. You're so… precious to me that it hurts me more to come and find you in a hospital bed than if you'd just told me what happened. There are a million people I talk to all the time but not one person in the world understands me like you do. You're the only one I can't be without. You're the only one that's irreplaceable."

"That's why I did it," she told him, "I feel the same way."

He smiled. "Next time, talk to me about it and we can work together to fix it." He kissed her forehead and she couldn't help but smile. The kiss seemed to spread warmth to every part of her body that had been craving him.


	19. Chapter 19

"Excuse me," a woman's voice sounded behind Tetsuro and they turned to see a nurse, "I'm here to change your bandages and check on you." Tetsuro sat in the chair while the nurse approached, beginning to unwrap Yuri's arm. "How are you feeling?"

Yuri shrugged. "I feel fine."

"You were unconscious for some time," she said, "A few hours, I believe. You were checked in at eight in the evening and now it's three in the morning."

Yuri gazed at her, wide eyed. "It's… three in the morning right now?"

The nurse nodded. "Can you tell me your full name?"

"Yuri Masuno," Yuri answered.

"And your birthday?"

"March eleventh."

"Good. Now, do you know what day it is?"

"Um… Thursday, now, I think."

"That's right," the nurse answered, "Are you feeling dizzy or lightheaded at all?"

Yuri shook her head. "No, just tired."

The nurse nodded. "I'll let you sleep soon. First, once I change these bandages, I need to bring you some snacks since you need to be able to recover the lost blood. Then, once I discuss changing bandages and things with your mother, you'll be free to go."

Yuri nodded once, watching as she completely removed the bandages. There was a deep gash diagonally down her wrist with stains of blood all over, although the stitches held it together properly. Yuri's heart raced, gazing at it. She couldn't believe she'd done that to herself. She could never stand blood; she even hated getting paper cuts. She turned her gaze to Tetsuro, who was gazing off in the distance. He probably couldn't stand to look at it.

The nurse then cleaned off the dried up blood before rewrapping Yuri's arm. "I'll be right back," the nurse said before leaving the two of them alone.

"Tetsu," Yuri eyed him, "If it's three in the morning, why are you here? You answered right away when my mom called you."

He didn't meet her gaze. "I couldn't sleep," he admitted, "Your mom told me what happened as soon as she brought you here and I felt like I was going crazy, sitting at home and waiting around. I probably lost ten pounds just pacing around my room."

Yuri gazed at him sympathetically; she could see herself in a similar position if the roles were reversed. "I love you, Tetsuro," she told him.

He finally smiled again, meeting her gaze. "I love you too, Yuri."

"You're going to be exhausted tomorrow," Yuri sighed, gazing down at her wrapped arm in her lap, "I'm sorry I'm always causing you so much trouble."

Yuri felt his gaze on her. "No, I'm sorry. If I had been able to figure out who the masked man is, I would've taken him out of the equation already and you would be fine."

"Do you have any leads?" she asked.

His lips pinched up into a smile. "Maybe. I'm not sure yet, but I think I know who he is. I just need some proof first before I take it to the police."

Yuri gasped. "Tetsu! Who? Tell me!"

He shook his head. "I can't tell you until I'm certain. I don't want to get your hopes up. Besides, you'd never believe me anyway."

His words only drove her curiosity through the roof. "Tell me, tell me!"

He chuckled. "You can beg me to tell you all night and I won't. You'll just have to wait and see."

The nurse returned with Yuri's parents not long after, giving Yuri small snacks before telling her parents everything they'd need to know until Yuri's stitches could be removed. Once she finished eating, the nurse gave Yuri her clothes to change into before the four of them drove home.

"Yuri," her mother broke the incredibly awkward silence in the car, "Do you want to talk to me? What's going on?"

Yuri felt Tetsuro take her hand and she smiled, gazing out the car window. "I don't… really want to talk about it," she answered.

"Let's go see the counselor at school," Tetsuro suggested and Yuri met his gaze, "Maybe it'll help to get the load off your shoulders. They can help you change out of that class with Tarumi."

Yuri furrowed her brow. "I don't want to."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I will feel like a baby," she admitted.

Tetsuro chuckled. "A lot of people go to the counselor with their problems. I'm sure it'll help."

Yuri looked away. "Fine."

"I think it's a good idea," her mother chimed in.

They arrived at home and Yuri led Tetsuro up to her room, although she could feel her father watching them with disappointment. Of course, Tetsuro had spent the night on many occasions at this point but her father still didn't like it. He was fond of Tetsuro, but only as much as a father can be of his daughter's boyfriend.

Her parents obviously didn't know about how far she and Tetsuro had gone together and they wouldn't know ever; at least, not until their wedding.

Yuri was halfway through changing into her pajamas when Tetsuro snaked his arms around her from behind, pulling her against him.

"I missed you so much," he murmured, closing his eyes, "I missed your smile, I missed the way you smell, I missed sleeping next to you."

Yuri turned to face him, touching his face. "I missed you too. Sometimes it was hard to sleep without you next to me."

He picked her up and kissed her. Both of them were missing their tops and his bare skin felt so warm against hers.

She broke the kiss, pushing him backwards towards the bed. "Do you want me to show you how much I missed you?"

He smiled, backing towards the bed until he fell backwards on to it. "Show me."

She pressed her lips to his, feeling instantly soothed, inside and out. His hands touched her bare waist and felt like matches setting off fireworks inside of her. He still could excite her so much just by touching her. His skin on hers felt like exactly what she needed.

He rolled over on top of her and she giggled as he kissed the crane of her neck all over before slowly trailing kisses down until he reached her sweet spot, pulling off her panties. She had to stifle a moan once he kissed it, almost instantly feeling ready for him. He worked his mouth on her like he'd done it a million times before, only giving her a few minutes before she was on the verge of a climax and she pulled away before crawling towards him and kissing his lips.

She took her turn on him, her cheeks flushing red when she brought her face close to it. She did her best, careful to keep her teeth off of him and he seemed to be enjoying it for a few minutes before he pulled her up by her hair. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her on to his lap and penetrating her.

She held him by the shoulders, moving her hips. He grasped her sides, quietly moaning in her ear, which drove her pleasure through the roof. Not too long after, she climaxed, biting his shoulder to stifle her moan.

"Always so fast," he teased, chuckling.

"It's because you drive me crazy," she breathed, still recovering from her intense climax.

He pushed her back on to the bed, taking charge as he moved a hand down between her legs. He was already inside her but using his fingers to rub the outside made it feel twice as good. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her nails into his back.

"Yeah," she quietly moaned, "You really drive me crazy."

He kissed her hard and she could feel his rapid breathing on her face which only turned her on even more. She climaxed again and she could feel him finish with her before he fell to her side. The both of them panted to catch their breath and Yuri sat up, hurrying to the bathroom to clean herself up. Once she returned, she put on her pajamas and climbed into bed beside him.

"Get some sleep, Tetsu," she whispered, "Are you still planning on going to school tomorrow?"

He chuckled. "I have to so I can go to practice. I can't miss a practice now when we're so close to the spring tournament."

Yuri nodded, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. "You're going to be exhausted. You gotta be up in a couple hours."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That's okay. As long as I spend tonight sleeping next to you, I think I'll be fine."

She smiled to herself and was fast asleep quickly.


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning, Yuri's mother shook her awake. "Come downstairs, baby," her mother said softly, "I made you breakfast. I know you didn't get to sleep much last night but I didn't want you to sleep all day and not be able to sleep tonight either."

Yuri nodded, climbing out of bed. "Is Tetsuro at school?"

Her mother nodded before leading the way downstairs. "The poor guy, I don't know how he does it. He looked so exhausted when he left." She set the island for breakfast as Yuri pulled herself into the barstool. "And he's going to not only have to survive a day at school, but go to practice too? He's going to fall asleep before he even gets home."

Yuri giggled. "I feel like it's my fault."

Her mother quickly shook her head. "Don't blame yourself, Yuri. It's because he loves you. Anyway, he'll be fine. One day of being tired won't kill him. I pulled tons of all-nighters back when I was in university."

Yuri examined her mother's expression. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Yuri," her mother answered, "Even if the world is ending and the sky falls, I would die shielding you. You're always going to be my baby, no matter what." She smiled. "That's why I like Tetsuro so much. He's like the perfect boyfriend for you; I couldn't ask for anyone better. Your father and I were always so worried when you were younger because you were always so pretty. We worried you would end up with the wrong boys all the time and we were worried about dealing with your broken hearts."

Yuri chuckled. "Dad doesn't like Tetsuro that much though."

Her mother shrugged. "Well, he's your dad. He doesn't really want any boy to look at you at all. But he is relieved. What other boy would run to the hospital at three in the morning on a school night to see you? Actually, Tetsuro is kind of a freak. Maybe you both should see a counselor."

Yuri laughed. "We were just praising him a minute ago."

"I know, I know, I'm only kidding," her mother chuckled, "But, even though you're always my number one, Tetsuro really has become like a second kid to me. I'm sure his parents feel the same way about you."

Yuri nodded. "One day, I'll be Yuri Kuroo and we'll all be one big happy family."

Her mother giggled, leaning over the counter to kiss Yuri's forehead before taking a seat beside her as they began to eat.

Afterwards, Yuri put on a face mask and relaxed in the tub, careful to keep her cut arm out of the water. She spent the rest of the day organizing her closet and then helping her mother with the household chores.

At the end of the day, Yuri's mother dropped her off at Nekoma to watch Tetsuro's practice. She returned to her usual spot and felt instantly comfortable. She missed watching their practices in the few days that she hadn't watched. They were being very serious, of course. Before the tournament, they would go away for another training camp for a week and all of them were determined to improve.

She wasn't even sure if Tetsuro had noticed her standing there since he was so focused. Although when they took water breaks, a couple of her friends on the team smiled at her. She had made sure to wear her cardigan today so that her arm with the cut was covered but it felt a bit strange that no one else knew about it. It was a life changing moment for her that could've meant life or death, but everyone she knew, save for her parents and Tetsuro, were none the wiser. She wondered if the masked man knew. He probably did; he was outside when it happened.

Yuri lost her train of thought as she watched the boys play.

After practice, she met Tetsuro outside and they walked home together.

"The sun's already setting," she pointed out, "The days are already getting shorter."

Tetsuro yawned. "Really? I feel like today was a long day."

Yuri giggled. "I'm sorry."

He put his hand on her head. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

She lifted her gaze to him. "I'm so lucky I have you."

"You're lucky?" he mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "I would say I'm the lucky one."

Yuri giggled. "We're both the lucky ones. The universe cracked for us to meet."

He smiled. "I guess. It is pretty poetic."

She laughed. "You won't die if you're a little romantic sometimes."

His cell phone began beeping before he could respond and he took it from his pocket, answering, and pressing it to his ear. After a few moments, he stopped suddenly and Yuri turned to gaze at him as he put the phone on speaker.

The first few seconds were just heavy breathing. "I'm coming for you, Yuri," the masked man's voice said, "I'll come and get you and I'll kill everyone in the way. That includes you, Tetsuro Kuroo."

Yuri's heart began to race with fear and she lifted her gaze to Tetsuro who seemed to be gazing intently off into the distance. She followed his gaze to see a rustle in the bushes.

"Tetsuro, wait," she quickly said, which went ignored as he was already rushing towards the bushes after thrusting his phone into her hands.

He reached in and pulled out the masked man by his shirt collar before throwing him so hard on the ground that Yuri was certain he would have a concussion. Tetsuro sat on top of him as Yuri rushed over and he took his cell phone back and pulled up the mask. He had snapped the picture before it registered who the two of them were looking at.

"Mister… Kato?" Yuri slowly mumbled, "It was… you? All along, this whole time, you were the one behind this? But… you were always so nice."

Tetsuro laughed suddenly. "I knew it. You're a creep who got fired last year for peeping in the girls' locker room, right? That wasn't enough for me to suspect you, though."

"You knew?" Yuri gasped, "You're really amazing, Tetsuro. I never would've even suspected him…"

Tetsuro shook his head. "That's not all. I always noticed while we were first-years how the teacher was so _nice_ to you, Yuri. You thought he was just being nice but I noticed that it was more like he was flirting with you. He always pressured you to stay after class even though you had good grades."

Yuri nodded, her heart racing with fear in her chest. "You're right."

"What really sparked my interest, though," Tetsuro mused, a completely furious expression on his face, "was when I overheard someone saying they saw the infamous Mister Kato hanging out near the school. That's when I started suspecting you." He grasped the teacher by his shirt collar, roughly picking his head up and slamming it back down again. "Now you're gonna know what it really means to mess with Yuri Masuno."

He punched him repeatedly until his face was leaking blood all over and Yuri jumped on him from behind, wrapping her arms around him in an attempt to hold him back. "Calm down, Tetsuro," she insisted, "We can just take him to the police."

He pushed her off, punching him a few more times before finally stopping, gazing at his bloody, barely conscious face.

"Yuri," Mister Kato stammered, "I… I'm going to kill you."

Quickly, Yuri wrapped her arms around Tetsuro again, this time holding on as tightly as she could. "Let it go, Tetsuro," she quickly said, "Stand up and we can take him to the police."

Tetsuro took a deep breath before nodding and Yuri released him, getting to her feet and she watched as he got to his as well, pulling up the masked man by his arm. Tetsuro turned to face her, opening his mouth to speak when she watched the masked man reveal a pocket knife he had hidden and she quickly grasped his arm before the knife could reach Tetsuro.

Tetsuro jumped back when he saw the knife, releasing his arm, and the masked man pulled away from Yuri, breaking into a run.

"He's getting away," Yuri's voice shook.

Tetsuro shook his head. "Don't worry. I have his picture and I know someone who can help me get the message out there."

The slowly began walking towards Yuri's home again, Yuri gazing at her feet.

"It's almost over," he reassured, "You don't have to stress about it anymore."

She nodded slowly. "Thank you for staying by me through this."

He gave her a smile. "I'll stay by you through anything."


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning after Tetsuro left for practice, Yuri checked the website to see that all of her photos were taken down and the picture of Mister Kato was the first thing on the page followed by a lot of writing:

_'Hello. I was caught and have decided to come clean. I've done terribly wrong things this past semester and I want to clear the air. The girl that was featured on this website did not deserve anything that I have done to her. She is a very beautiful girl and I was fascinated with her, as most people are when they see such a gorgeous face. I started this in order to admire her but I realized I went about things the wrong way. She hasn't done anything wrong and doesn't deserve punishment.'_

Yuri smiled after reading it, tapping her lips. These were certainly Tetsuro's words. She had no idea how he hacked on to the website or who he forced into it but she knew he was trying to sound like the creep behind the website.

_'I would also like to draw attention to another person who helped me run this website; an Akane Tarumi. She has also wronged the girl on this website and I would like to apologize on her behalf. Akane Tarumi wanted something that the girl had and she let jealousy get the better of her. She was acting out of envy. She feels terrible.'_

Curiously, Yuri climbed out of bed and changed into her school uniform, preparing herself for the day before descending the stairs. She waved goodbye to her mother before beginning her trek to school. It was the first time she'd walked alone in a while. It felt nice to be able to breathe. When she arrived at school, she noticed everyone was staring at her and whispering again; probably after having read what the website said.

She ignored them, taking a seat in her class beside Naomi.

"Yuri," she grinned, "I missed you! Have you seen the website?"

Yuri nodded, a smile crossing her face. "Tetsuro did it. He's like a superhero."

Naomi nodded. "I was so surprised. I would never have guessed."

"I just didn't understand the thing about Akane," Yuri mused, gazing at Akane's empty seat.

"People have been talking," Naomi added, "But they're all just rumors. I still don't know what happened with her."

"I'm glad all of this is over," Yuri sighed with relief, "I just hope the police catch the guy."

She began withdrawing her notebook and a pen from her bag, jumping at the sound of someone's voice behind her, "Hi."

Yuri turned to see Akane standing there. Her expression looked defeated and she was gazing at her feet. Yuri gestured to the empty desk on her other side and Akane took a seat.

"I already know things are going to hell from here for me," she sighed, "I just wanted… to come clean." Yuri gazed at her expectantly as she twiddled her thumbs, pondering how to say it. "Well… last year, I had class with this guy. He was handsome and charismatic but a little intimidating and hard to approach. I was always watching him and I… I fell in love. You and I weren't really super close at the time so I never told you but I told my other friends." She gestured towards the front, where the other girls she sat with were. "They encouraged me to ask him out towards the end of the year. I probably wasn't going to have a class with him as third-years so I figured it was my last chance. I snuck a note in his desk asking him to meet me somewhere for lunch. I sat there and waited and waited but he never met me there. Later, I saw it in the trash by the gym. I was heartbroken." Akane breathed a chuckle, putting a palm to her forehead. "This is… so embarrassing."

"Go on," Naomi urged her.

"Well, once the year ended, I didn't see him that much anymore," Akane told them, "I was right; he wasn't in my class and I hardly saw him in the halls. He barely even looked at me. Then again, he hardly noticed me even when we were in class together. It was wishful thinking trying to ask him out. You and I got closer and I didn't think about him that much anymore. I was moving on. Then… I found out…"

She trailed off and Yuri's gaze wandered off. "You found out… it was Tetsuro."

Akane nodded slowly. "He was acting like it never happened and you said you've been together for two years and I just… got so angry. I took it out on you. I wanted to hurt him like he hurt me."

Yuri shook her head slowly. "That… is a really terrible excuse. I'm sorry that you were hurt but you can't throw a fit every time you don't get what you want. I had no idea that you had feelings for him, otherwise I wouldn't have said anything. You did hurt him. He lost a lot of sleep and he was always stressed and worried about me but you put me through hell. We were friends. I never meant to hurt you. Tetsuro and I have been in love since before you even met him. It's not fair for you to waltz in and try to ruin everything."

"I know," Akane muttered, "You don't need to lecture me. I'm already going to get kicked out of school anyway, and just before graduation."

"You think that's bad?" Yuri chuckled, "You have no idea what you put me through." She pulled up the sleeve of her cardigan to reveal the wrapping around her arm. "Let me know when you end up in the hospital because your own existence is so dreadful that you'd rather be dead."

Just as she finished speaking, a teacher entered the room from behind Akane. "Excuse me. Is there an Akane Tarumi in this class?"

"Yes, that's me," Akane answered.

"Please, follow me," the teacher instructed and Akane did as she was told, led out of the room.


End file.
